Session 179: Modern Thinking
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Session 179: Modern Thinking
Tuesday, November 10th, 3pm EST, 8pm UK, 9pm CET
Video to be uploaded soon
Moderators:
Dr Isabella Spyropoulou
Wayne Bennett
Presenters:
Dr Angie Beltsos: The Leaking Clinic
Kindly sponsored by Cima Growth Solutions
Helen Hunter: Keep Calm and Culture On
Kindly sponsored by FertilAI
Dr Vittorio Palmieri: Thinking Outside the Box: Rethinking
Embryo and Gamete Transport
Q and A
Synopsis:
In this session of the International IVF Initiative (I3), "Modern Thinking", moderators Dr Isabella Spyropoulou and Wayne Bennett guided a discussion exploring how new ideas, technologies and approaches to management are reshaping the modern fertility clinic.
The session brought together three perspectives on improving efficiency, patient experience, laboratory operations and the delivery of reproductive care.
Dr Angie Beltsos opened with “The Leaking Clinic,” examining how fertility clinics can lose patients at different stages of their journey, often through gaps in communication, unrealistic expectations, delays and missed opportunities for engagement. She explored how a better understanding of patient behaviour, supported by artificial intelligence and more responsive clinical processes, could help clinics improve patient retention, manage expectations and provide more personalised care.
Helen Hunter followed with “Keep Calm and Culture On,” focusing on the increasing pressures facing embryologists and clinical teams. Her presentation considered how laboratory culture, staff wellbeing and effective workflow management influence both performance and the quality of care. Particular attention was given to how AI-driven technologies, including improved prediction and scheduling of oocyte retrievals, could reduce unnecessary workload, improve planning and allow laboratory professionals to concentrate on the tasks where their expertise matters most.
Dr Vittorio Palmieri concluded the presentations with “Thinking Outside the Box: Rethinking Embryo and Gamete Transport.” His talk challenged conventional approaches to transporting reproductive material, examining the logistical, technical and regulatory difficulties associated with moving gametes and embryos between clinics, regions and countries. As reproductive medicine becomes increasingly international, he explored how innovations in transport systems, monitoring and logistics could improve safety, traceability and accessibility while supporting new models of fertility care.
The presentations were followed by an interactive Q&A session, which explored the relationship between technology and human expertise, the practical challenges of implementing innovation, and the importance of ensuring that efficiency does not come at the expense of patient care or laboratory quality.
The session highlighted that modernising fertility services is not simply about introducing new technologies. It requires a willingness to question established practices, rethink how clinics operate and recognise that improvements in patient communication, workforce management and laboratory logistics are all interconnected.
