Upcoming Events

Keynote Address

• David J.P. Barker, M.D., Ph.D. (Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA, and University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom), Chronic Disease Begins in the Womb.

State-of-the-Art Lectures

• Kjersti M. Aagaard-Tillery, M.D., Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA), Comparative Genomics, Epigenomics, and Nutrition in Perinatal Health: Keys to Understanding the Molecular Basis of the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease.
• Shuk-mei Ho, Ph.D. (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA), Epigenetic Memories: How Do They Interact with Life Span Events? 
• Markus Stoffel, M.D., Ph.D. (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland), MicroRNAs: Biological Functions and Therapeutic Opportunities. 

President’s Symposium: Reproductive Policy & the Public Good

• Tom Holder, Founder, Speaking of Research (Alexandra, Virginia, USA), Standing up for Science. 
• Mary Woolley, President, Research!America (Alexandria, Virginia, USA), Breakthrough Advocacy for Research.
• John Peterson (Pete) Myers, Ph.D., Founder, CEO, and Publisher of Environmental Health News (Charlottesville, Virginia, USA), Finding Our Voice: The Political Side of Science.

Historical Perspectives Symposium

• Fuller W. Bazer, Ph.D. (Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA), The Embryo Comes Knockin’—Mama’s Response and How to Study It. 
• John A. McLachlan, Ph.D. (Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA), Environmental Estrogens from the Very Beginning.

Trainee Forum

Beyond the Bench: Exploring Career Opportunities and Striving for Success.

• Joe Tringali (Tringali & Associates, Manchester, New Hampshire)
• Bill Lindstaedt (University of California Office of Career & Professional Development, San Francisco, California)
• Mark Mirando, Ph.D. (USDA, Washington, D.C.);
• Peter Sutovsky, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri)
• Olga Bolden-Tiller, Ph.D. (Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama)
• Marjorie A. Faust, Ph.D. (ABS Global, Inc., Deforest, Wisconsin).

Minority Affairs Health Disparities Symposium and Forum

James R. Gavin III, M.D., Ph.D. (Emory University School of Medicine, Fairburn, Georgia)

Maternal Effects on Egg Quality

Chair: Richard J. Tasca, Ph.D. (NIH/NICHD, Rockville, Maryland, USA).

• Kelle H. Moley, M.D. (Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA), Too Much of a Sweet Thing―Maternal Diabetes and Oocyte Quality.
• Kevin Sinclair, Ph.D. (University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, United Kingdom), Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: B-Vitamins and DNA Methylation Programming in the Oocyte and Pre-Implantation Embryo.
• Tom Fleming, Ph.D. (University of Southampton, Southampton, England, United Kingdom), Maternal Dietary Effects on Rodent Egg/Embryo Developmental Potential and Long-Term Health.

Small RNAs in Reproduction and Development

Chair: Norman B. Hecht, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA).

• Robert Blelloch, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco, California, USA), Small RNA Regulation of Embryonic Stem Cells.
• Eric C. Lai, Ph.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA), Small Regulatory RNAs in Drosophila.
• Norman B. Hecht, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA), Novel Small RNAs of Male Germ Cells.

The SSR / Frontiers in Reproduction (FIR) Symposium

Chair: Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA).

• Emre Seli, M.D. (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA), Translational Regulation of Gene Expression During Oocyte and Early Embryo Development.
• Rocio M. Rivera, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA), Epigenetic Effects of Manipulating Mouse Oocytes and Preimplantation Embryos.
• Elena Zambrano, Ph.D. (National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Mexico City, Mexico), Living with the Past: Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.

Current Concepts of Corpus Luteum Regulation and Function (in honor of Gordon Niswender)

Chair: P. Landis Keyes, Ph.D. (University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA).

• Geula Gibori, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA), The Large Luteal Cell-derived 17Beta-Hydroxysterioid Dehydrogenase: An Enzyme with a Split Personality.
• Milo C. Wiltbank, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA), Cheating Death: Why Early Bovine and Porcine CL Do Not Regress after Prostaglandin F2alpha.
• Richard L. Stouffer, Ph.D. (Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon, USA), Endocrine and Local Control of the Primate Corpus Luteum.

New Concepts in Sperm Function and Fertility

Chair: Janice L. Bailey, Ph.D. (Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada).

• George L. Gerton, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA), Adenine Nucleotides and Sperm Motility.
• Pierre Leclerc, Ph.D. ( Laval University, Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada), Putative Roles of Tyrosine Kinase in Sperm Functions.
• Gillian Stanfield, Ph.D. (University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA), Regulation of Sperm Motility in C. elegans.

The Oviductal Environment and Fertilization and Preimplantation Embryo Development

Chair: Jay M. Baltz, Ph.D. (Ottawa Health Research Insitute and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada).

• Henry J. Leese, Ph.D. (University of York, York, England, United Kingdom), The Oviductal Environment and Early Embryo Development: A Question of Supply and Demand.
• Kai-Fai Lee, Ph.D. (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China), Oviductal Embryotrophic Factors on Preimplantation Embryo Development.
• Carmen J. Williams, M.D., Ph.D. (NIEHS, NIH, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA), Long-Term Impact of Neonatal Genistein Exposure on Adult Oviductal Function in the Mouse.

DNA Methylation as a Key Epigenetic Regulator During Gametogenesis and Embryogenesis

Chair: Bernard Robaire, Ph.D. (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada).

• Jacquetta Trasler, M.D., Ph.D. (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Setting Epigenetic Programs in the Early Germline—Role of DNA Methyltransferases and Folate Pathway Enzymes.
• Myriam Hemberger, Ph.D. (The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom), Epigenetic Mechanisms of Cell Lineage Commitment in Early Development.
• John R. McCarrey, Ph.D. (University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA), Gene-Specific Demethylation Predisposes Tissue-Specific Transcription During Gametogenesis.

Male – Female Communication

Chair: Janice P. Evans, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA).

• Susan S. Suarez, Ph.D. (Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA), Female Control: Sperm Movement and Storage in the Oviduct.
• Mariana F. Wolfner, Ph.D. (Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA), Battle and Ballet: Molecular Interplay Between the Sexes in Drosophila.
• Rafael Fissore, D.V.M, Ph.D. ( University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA), Activating the Egg: A Tale of Two Molecules.

Non-genomic Actions of Steroid Hormones in Regulating Reproduction Function

Chair: Stephen Hammes, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochest, New York, USA).

• Martin J. Kelly, Ph.D. (Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA), Rapid Estrogen Signaling in Hypothalamic Neurons.
• William H. Walker, Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA), Non-Classical Testosterone Signaling in Sertoli Cells and the Regulation of Male Fertility.
• Richard J. Santen, M.D. (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA), ER Alpha Signals Via a Linear IGF-1-R/EFG-R Pathway in Breast Cancer.

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Endometrial Biology

Chair: Francesco J. DeMayo, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA).

• J. Julie Kim, Ph.D. (Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA), Progesterone Action in Endometrial Cancer and Uterine Leiomyomas.
• Wendy Jefferson, Ph.D. (NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA), Developmental Exposure to Estrogens and Uterine Disease Later in Life.
• Shannon M. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA), MicroRNAs in Endometriosis.

Developmental Origins of Adult Health and Disease: From Concept to Human Studies

Chair: Sally D. Perreault, Ph.D. (US EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA).

• Dana Dolinoy, Ph.D. (University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA), Epigenetic Gene Regulation: Linking Early Development Environment to Adult Disease.
• John M. Rogers, Ph.D. (US EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA), Long-Term Effects of Maternal Undernutrition or Toxicant Exposure on Adult Health of Offspring in Rodents.
• Kenneth C. Schoendorf, M.D., M.P.H. (National Children’s Study, NICHD, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA), The National Children’s Study: A Life Course Study for Early Origins of Disease.

Oncofertility—New Approaches to Preserving Reproductive Function in Female Cancer Patients

Chair: Richard L. Stouffer, Ph.D. (Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon, USA).

• David F. Albertini, Ph.D. (Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA), Oocyte Cryopreservation: Resolving Conflict Between the Cell Cycle and Cytoskeleton.
• Renee A. Reijo Pera, Ph.D. (Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA) Differentiation of Human Germ Cells from Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.
• Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. ( Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA), Oncofertility: Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients.

Sex Determination—Unraveling the Pathways

Chair: Michael D. Griswold, Ph.D. (Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA).

• Blanche Capel, Ph.D. (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA), Patterning the Gonad.
• Josephine Bowles, Ph.D. (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), Sex Fate Determination in the Germ Line.
• Eric Vilain, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA), Disorder of Sex Development: Of Mice and Men.

Sertoli Cells: Novel Functions of an Old Cell

Chair: Kwan Hee Kim, Ph.D. (Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA).

• Leslie L. Heckert, Ph.D. (University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA), Fshr and Transcriptional Regulation in Sertoli Cells.
• William Wright, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA), Stage-Specific Gene Expression by Sertoli Cells: New Insights Obtained by Dissecting the Cathepsin L Promoter.
• Miles F. Wilkinson, Ph.D. (University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California, USA), Rhox5: A New Model of Transcriptional Control.

Kisspeptin Signaling in the Regulation of the HPG Axis (Mahesh Neuroendocrine Minisymposium)

Chair: Tony M. Plant, Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA).

• Robert L. Goodman, Ph.D. (West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA), Kisspeptin Neurons: Possible Mediators of Internal and External Signals Regulating GnRH Secretion.
• William H. Colledge, Ph.D. (University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom), Kisspeptin Signaling in Rodents: Insights from Knock-Out Mice.
• Robert P. Millar, Ph.D. (MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom), Dissection of Kisspeptin’s Role in the Neuroendocrine Regulation of Gonadotropin Using Antagonists.

John D. Gearhart, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), The Intersection Between Stem Cell Biology and Reproduction.

Huntington Willard, Ph.D. (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina), ‘’Omics Gone Wild: The Genome Sciences and Sexual Reproduction.

David H. Ledbetter, Ph.D. (Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia), Advances in Genomic and Genetic Technology That Enhance Detection of Fetal Abnormalities.

Robert E. Braun, Ph.D. (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine), Stem Cells and Germ Cell Differentiation.

Lori T. Raetzman, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA). Development of the Pituitary, Gatekeeper of Gonadotropins.

Myles Brown, M.D. (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts), Cistromes Approach to Hormones Action.

Ruth H. Lehmann, M.D. (Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York, New York), Germ Cells Are Forever: Programming of the Germ Line Genome.

James (Jay) C. Cross, Ph.D. (University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada), Developmental Potential and Plasticity of Stem Cells in the Placenta.

Sarah K. England, Ph.D. (Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA). The Timing of Labor; a Scientist’s Perspective.

Devon Payne-Sturges, Dr.P.H. (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA). Humanizing Science: Making Research Relevant for Achieving Heath Equity.

ASRM Distinguished Research Scientist: Bruce R. Carr, M.D. (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas), Regulation and Expression of CYP 17 in the Human Placenta.

SSR New Investigator: Ryan Cabot, Ph.D.(Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana), Chromatin Remodeling and Embryo Development.

SRF New Investigator Scientist: Suzannah Williams, Ph.D.(University of Oxford, Oxford, Great Britain), The Regulation of Ovulation Rate and Ovarian Function by Oocyte-glycoproteins.