Session 70: Awesome IVF's Quality Meeting: Part One

Giles Palmer is a clinical embryologist, skilled in laboratory, business and quality management. After graduating in Genetics at Leeds University, UK he worked as a research officer at London's Hammersmith Hospital's acclaimed IVF unit working with Professors Lord Winston and Alan Handyside. In the following years he worked as laboratory manager and clinic director in IVF clinics in Greece while consulting in several countries including Iceland, Nigeria and the Balkan states.
His research collaboration with St. Sophia's Children's Hospital (Athens University) resulted in the first births in Greece following embryo-biopsy and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. He has published in leading scientific journals on a variety of topics including pre-implantation genetic testing for Cystic Fibrosis and B-thalassaemia, Morphokinectics and Quality Management. He is a certified HCPC clinical scientist in the UK and has been accredited with Senior Embryologist Status by ESHRE.
More recently, Giles, has become a consultant for IVF clinics, Institute of Life, Athens and Nordica Fertility Centre in Lagos and product developer in a wide range of areas within the industry.

Kelly's research experience started in the field of proteomics where she obtained a PhD in biomarker research in inflammatory arthritides at the University of Ghent in 2007. At that time, she combined her scientific enthusiasm with the responsibility of quality manager for an accredited DNA fingerprinting laboratory. As a post-doctoral fellow she got in touch with the group op Petra De Sutter, as they joined forces in several research projects and joined the fertility department Sutter headed in November 2009. Kelly combined the task of quality manager of the fertility center with scientific research in the area of fertility preservation.
During the years, she combined quality management with project and laboratory process management.
Currently, Dr. Tilleman is the director of the Ghent University Hospital IVF lab, where she is privileged to work with a very dynamic and enthusiastic team.
Kelly is the coordinator of the special interest group SQART at ESHRE, Belgian representative for EDQM at the Council of Europe and board member of international organization ICCBBA (ISBT-128).

DR. ALISON CAMPBELL

Alison Campbell is based in the UK and has played a key role in establishing and improving IVF laboratories for over 25 years. As Director of Embryology for the CARE Fertility Group, Alison heads up the 13 laboratory teams across the UK and Ireland.

Alison's strategic role involves driving standards, best practice and leading R&D across the sites.

Alison is a member of Alpha Scientists executive board, a section editor of RBM On-line, an associate editor of Human Reproduction, a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and a Director of The CARE Fertility Group. Alison was responsible for the first clinical application of time-lapse microscopy in the UK, 10 years ago, and is well published in this exciting area of assisted reproduction.

Alison has a passion for training and development of embryologists and has recently established a state of the art training facility at CARE Fertility, Manchester.

Debbie Venier graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Animal Science and a Master’s in Reproductive Physiology. She started her career as a clinical embryologist in 1994 at Nashville Fertility Center. Subsequently, Debbie started the undergraduate embryology program at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. After teaching applied embryology for 10 years, she has placed over 37 clinical embryologists into the field. Her revolutionary course and training program still exists today at Cal Poly.
She returned to clinical embryology 11 years ago in San Diego serving as the Laboratory Supervisor at La Jolla IVF and is currently a consulting embryologist. Her passion and skill lie in teaching embryology and training the next generation. Debbie has been training embryologists in biopsy and ICSI techniques over the last 10 years all over the world. She has been an invited speaker and trainer for companies such as Illumina, Cooper Genomics, Hamilton Thorne, Vitrolife, Southwest Embryology Society, and Eastern Virginia Medical School. She is also a board member for the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society (PCRS), and a committee member for the college of reproductive biology (CRB).
Debbie is currently opening WEST (World Embryology Skills and Training Center) with her husband, Bill to recruit new embryologists to the field. When looking for an international expert trainer with the record and reputation to support it, Debbie is the best person to ensure success in her trainees..

JEANETTE MACKENZIE