Session 142: About Time Too!
3pm ET/ 8pm UK/ 9pm CET, Tuesday 15th Oct 2024
Synopsis:
The webinar focused on innovative strategies to save time and streamline operations in IVF clinics by leveraging advanced technology. It emphasized optimizing customer-doctor interactions with cutting-edge software, integrating electronic quality management and traceability systems, and automating essential tasks in the IVF lab. The aim was to allow clinic staff to dedicate more time to patient care and improving outcomes.
The event was moderated by embryologists Michelle Mena, Dani Wild, and Janefrances Ugwuodo, with presentations from both business and laboratory perspectives. Cecilie Hvidberg Jakobsen discussed how clinics can evolve to meet the rising demands of patients by modernizing medical records and adopting more intuitive systems aligned with the latest technologies and patient expectations, termed "liquid expectations."
Matt Pettit presented on the benefits of digitizing IVF labs, highlighting time-saving measures and efficiencies under the theme "A stitch in time saves nine." Dr. Bec Holmes reviewed advancements in automation within the IVF lab, particularly in the dish preparation process, referencing recent developments, publications, and best practice guidelines.
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A, encouraging active participation from the audience.
Moderators:
Michelle Mena, Dani Wild, Janefrances Ugwuodo
Presenters:
Cecilie Hvidberg Jakobsen: Time to evolve: How to scale your clinic to meet rising patient needs
A talk kindly sponsored by Wawa Fertility
Matt Pettit: "A stitch in time saves nine"
A talk kindly sponsored by IMT Matcher
Dr. Bec Holmes: Can we retire the serological pipets yet? Advances in automated dish prep
Q and A
Michelle Mena
Michelle is a registered nurse and certificated specialist in human reproduction medicine. A dedicated patient and client advocate with a strong background in customer support and sales processes.
She completed the “Mastering Sales: A Toolkit for Success” course by Northwester Kellogg University (Feb 2021), as well as “Be an Entrepreneur Seminar” by Alfredo Culebro & Robert Kiyosaki (2018), and Nurse Certificate Course in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility by ASRM (2015).
She is currently undergoing a certification on the Fundamentals of Clinical Embryology in the IVF Laboratory imparted by prestigious University UNAM in Mexico. Her current work in IVF 2.0 is being the primary link and first contact to clients and potential customers assisting them during the complete process, identifying and evaluating client needs. Michelle is a caring and reliable person with a reputation for building a great rapport between medical providers and patients.
Dani Wild
Dani has been an embryologist for nine years, starting her career in London before moving to the south coast. Over the past three years, she has worked as a locum embryologist, a choice inspired by the flexibility she gained after teaching herself graphic design during the lockdown. This added a creative dimension to her professional skill set. Dani’s passion for sustainability in the IVF sector began with a research study focused on reducing plastic use in IVF labs. She later had the opportunity to present her findings at the I3 Green IVF webinar and collaborated with a talented team on the “Sustainability in the IVF Laboratory” paper.
Janefrances Ugwuodo
Janefrances Ugwuodo is an experienced clinical embryologist at the Bridge Clinic Fertility Centre in Nigeria.
She is also an advocate for girls’ rights and serves as a sexual and gender-based violence instructor for the Federation of International Gender and Human Rights.
Interested in solving problems and managing risks in health care, she has obtained certifications after completing educational courses in these areas.
Cecilie Hvidberg Jakobsen
Cecilie Jakobsen is the CEO and Co-Founder of wawa fertility. Wawa is the operating system for fertility clinics to run and grow their business.
Cecilie has a background in technology and data analytics. She founded wawa from her own experiences with pregnancy loss where she saw how the fantastic work doctors and nurses do are held back by broken software systems.
Today, wawa has been used by more than 30,000 patients and leading clinics worldwide.
Cecilie and the wawa team are on the mission to help fertility clinics improve the access for the millions of families today and in the future who require fertility treatment to start their family.
Matt Pettit
Matt is Chief Scientific Officer for Matcher Technologies Ltd, responsible for development and implementation of ‘Matcher’, a barcode-based electronic witnessing, labelling, scheduling and traceability system with interactive dashboards for visualisation, analysis and reporting of Matcher data Insights.
Since gaining a degree in Biology at the University of Wales in 1990, Matt has worked in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology, including roles managing laboratories, R&D and quality control at the UK’s leading bovine breeding companies and cryo-storage facilities.
Matt’s primary focus is now on developing simple-to-implement, practical solutions to error prevention, traceability and cryo-stores management in human IVF clinics, donor banks and genetics Labs. This role involves designing systems that can be easily integrated and fitted around existing SOPs and advising on the validation required for electronic witnessing systems.
Matt is also a Trustee and scientific advisor to ‘Nature’s Safe’, a new initiative working in collaboration with the world’s zoos for the long-term storage of live cells from animal species that are at the greatest risk of extinction.
Dr. Bec Holmes
Rebecca “Bec” Holmes, DPhil, HCDL is the Senior Vice President of Lab Operations for the CCRM network. She is responsible for protocol/procedure implementation, as well aiding in staff training and ongoing quality control monitoring for the network embryology, andrology and endocrinology laboratories.
Originally from England Dr Holmes obtained her BSc at Brunel University and her D. Phil in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford where she studied epigenetics. She completed her postdoctoral studies at Cornell University. Her second postdoctoral position, in the laboratory of Dr Paula Cohen began her interest in clinical IVF. After completing embryology training in the Boston area she went on to become Technical Director of IVF at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before helping establish the Boston CCRM laboratory and now directing multiple labs within the CCRM network. She has given regional, national and international invited lectures on various topics related to the IVF laboratory, contributed to numerous peer-reviewed articles and ran an embryology society meeting in the New England area.
Patients facing the woes of infertility are desperately in need of researchers who can help them navigate the biological, technical, and emotional challenges of their effort to have a baby. Dr Holmes receives an immense amount of joy for being able to make this happen for thousands of people.