Upcoming Events

Keynote Address

• Laneta Dorflinger, Ph.D. (FHI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), Reproductive Science: Expanding Choice, Empowering Women, Securing the Future. 

President’s Symposium: Protecting Reproductive Health in a World Full of Man-Made Products

• Geoffrey L. Greene, Ph.D. (University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois), Hormone Mimetics as Reproductive Allies and Enemies: SARMS, SERMS, and EDCs. 
• David J. Dix, Ph.D. (EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), Preventing Environmental Risks to Reproduction in Humans and Wildlife Using Computational Toxicology. 
• Gail S. Prins, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois), The Impact of Estrogens and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Prostate Disease.

Plenary Lectures

State-of-the-Art Lecture:

• Marisa S. Bartolomei, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennyslvania), Epigenetic Regulation of Genomic Imprinting.

Anita Payne New Perspectives in Reproductive Biology Lecture:

• Amander Clark, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles, California), The Next Frontier for Pluripotent Stem Cell Research in Reproductive Biology.

Historical Perspectives Lecture

• John Biggers, Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts), IVF⁄ART Impact and Ongoing Research Needs and Questions. 

Exchange Lectures:

• ASRM Distinguished Research Scientist: Richard Stouffer, Ph.D. (Oregon National Primate Center, Beaverton, Oregon), Prostaglandins as Mediators of the Conceptus-Maternal Interactions During Peri-implanation Period.
• SRF New Investigator Scientist: Agnieszka Waclawik, Ph.D. (Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences, Tuwima, Olsztyn, Poland), Prostaglandins as Mediators of the Conceptus-Maternal Interactions During Peri-implanation Period.
• SSR New Investiagator: Derek Boerboom, D.V.M., Ph.D. (University of Montreal, St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada)The Yin and Yang of WNT4 Signaling in the Adult Gonad.
• SGI Physician-Scientist: John Challis, Ph.D. (Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Title to be announced.

Trainee Forum

• Leon Speroff, M.D. (Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon), Gregory Pincus and the Development of the Birth Control Pill. 

MAC Symposium

Organized by the SSR Minority Affairs Committee; financial support provided by the FASEB MARC Program through a grant from the Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. T36-GM08637.

• John Alderete, Ph.D. (Washington State University, Pullman, Washington), Trichomonas vaginalis, Reproductive Health and a Minority Scientist’s Experiences. 

A Fresh Look at Pituitary Hormones in Reproduction

Chair: Sally Camper, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

• Lori Raetzman, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois), Kicking It Up and Down a Notch: An Important Switch in Pituitary Development and Disease.
• John H. Nilson, Ph.D. (Washington State University, Pullman, Washington), New Pathways that Mediate GnRH-Regulated Expression of Gonadotropin Genes.
• Ulrich Boehm, Ph.D. (Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg, Germany), Embryonic GnRH Signaling Is Necessary for Maturation of the Male Reproductive Axis.

Signaling Molecules and Pathways That Regulate and Determine the Fate of Male Germline Stem Cells

Chair: Marie-Claude Hofmann, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois)

• Kate Loveland, Ph.D. (Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia), Hedgehog Signaling in the Testis: Insights for Stem Cell and Cancer Biology.
• Marie-Claude Hofmann, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois), Notch Signaling in the Postnatal Male Germ Line.
• Martin Dym, Ph.D. (Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.), Potential of Spermatogonial Stem Cells: Mouse and Human Studies.

Reproductive Cancers

Chair: Janice M. Bahr, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois)

• Nelly Auersperg, M.D., Ph.D. (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), The Origin of Ovarian Cancers – Theories and Controversies.
• Barbara Vanderhyden, Ph.D. (Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), Lessons Learned from Mouse Models of Ovarian Cancer.
• Jennifer Richer, Ph.D. (Denver School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado), MicroRNAs Regulate Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer Sensitivity to Anoikis and Chemotherapy.

Changing Age of Puberty and Causal Factors

Chair: Prema Narayan, Ph.D. (Southern Illinois School of Medicine, Carbondale, Illinois)

• Emily Walvoord, M.D. (Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana), The Changing Age of Puberty: Clinical Evidence and Potential Outcomes.
• Heather B. Patisaul, Ph.D. (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina), Endocrine Disruption of Female Reproductive Neuroendocrine Pathways.
• Manuel Tena-Sempere, Ph.D. (University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain), Neuroendocrine Mechanisms for the Metabolic Control of Puberty.

Wildlife Preservation and Conservation: Lessons for Human Reproduction

Chair: Pierre Comizzoli, Ph.D. (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.)

• Janine L. Brown, Ph.D. (Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia), Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Elephants: New Models for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
• William V. Holt, Ph.D. (Zoological Society of London Institute of Zoology, London, United Kingdom), Sperm Assessment: Is the Average Spermatozoon Any Good? The View from the Zoo!
• Pierre Comizzoli, Ph.D. (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.), Building Bridges Between Wild Species and Human Research Through Fertility-Preservation Studies.

Estrogen, Cognition, and Neuroprotection

(Supported by the Mahesh Neuroendocrine Program Fund)

Chair: Darrell W. Brann, Ph.D. (Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia)

• Walter Rocca, M.D. (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota), Surgical Menopause and Increased Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.
• Darrell W. Brann, Ph.D. (Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia), Prolonged Hypoestrogenicity Leads to Enhanced Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Protein Induction and Ischemic Stress Damage in the Hippocampus.
• Roberta Diaz Brinton, Ph.D. (University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California), Estrogen, Mitochondrial Bioenergetics, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Historical Perspectives: Honoring Anne McLaren

Chair: Monika Ward, Ph.D. (University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii)

• John D. Biggers, Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts), The Life’s Work of Anne McLaren.
• Paul S. Burgoyne, Ph.D. (MRC National Institute of Medical Research, London, United Kingdom), Involvement of Y-Encoded Zinc Finger Transcription Factors in Male and Female Infertility in Mice.
• Elizabeth Simpson, FRS (Imperial College, London, United Kingdom), Examination of Ohno’s Hypothesis with Anne McLaren: Separation of HY and TDY.

Post-translational Protein Modifications in Gametes, Embryos, and the Reproductive System

Chair: Peter Sutovsky, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri)

• Janice L. Bailey, Ph.D. (Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada), Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Sperm Proteins: What Does It Mean?
• Hitoshi Sawada, Ph.D. (Nagoya University, Toba, Japan), Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Involved in Fertilization of Ascidians and Sea Urchins.
• Thomas R. Hansen, Ph.D. (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado), Isgylation: A Conserved Pathway in Mammalian Pregnancy.

Reproductive Research and Its Impact on Feeding the World’s Hungry

Chair: Robert A. Cushman, Ph.D. (ARS/USDA, Clay Center, Nebraska)

• G. Cliff Lamb, Ph.D. (University of Florida, Marianna, Florida), The Impact of Current and Future Applied Reproduction Technologies in Livestock on World Food Production.
• Dan J. Nonneman, Ph.D. (ARS-USDA, Clay Center, Nebraska), Using Genetic Technologies to Improve Reproductive Efficiency.
• Gregory M. Weber, Ph.D. (ARS-USDA, Kearneysville, West Virginia), Use of Technologies to Control Reproduction in Finfish Aquaculture.

Regenerative Medicine in Reproduction

Chair: Rebecca L. Krisher, Ph.D. (National Foundation for Fertility Research, Lone Tree, Colorado)

• Evelyn E. Telfer, Ph.D. (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom), In Vitro Growth of Oocytes: From Primordial Stage to Maturation.
• Gary D. Smith, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), Bioengineering Tools for Improved Embryo and Embryonic Stem Cell Culture.
• Mandy Katz-Jaffe, Ph.D. (National Foundation for Fertility Research, Lone Tree, Colorado), Clinical Application of Comprehensive Chromosome Screening and Beyond.

Evolving Concepts in Sperm Capacitation and Fertilization

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

• Jurrien Dean, M.D. (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD), Evolving Paradigms of Gamete Recognition in Mice.
• Masaru Okabe, Ph.D. (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan), Verification of Theories for Fertilization by Gene-Manipulated Animals.
• Pablo Visconti, Ph.D. (University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts), Title to be announced.

Novel Mechanisms of Receptor Function in Female Reproduction

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

• Bruce Murphy, Ph.D. (University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada), Orphan Nuclear Receptors in Reproduction: Lessons from Tissue-Specific Knockout Mice.
• Sophia Tsai, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas), Nuclear Orphan Receptor, COUP-TFII, in Reproduction.
• Milan Bagchi, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois), Stromal-Epithelial Communication Regulates Steroid Receptor Function in the Uterus.

Meiosis: The Roots of Fertility and Infertility

Organized by Mary Ann Handel, Ph.D. (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine)

• Alex Bortvin, M.D., Ph.D. (Carnegie Institute of Washington, Baltimore, Maryland), Transposons and Meiosis.
• Michael Nachman, Ph.D. (University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona), The Genetic Basis of Reproductive Isolation in House Mice.
• Terry Hassold, Ph.D. (Washington State University, Pullman, Washington), The Origin of Aneuploidy in Humans: Does Prophase Set the Stage?

Epigenetic Mechanisms for Developmental Origins of Adult Disease

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

• Sarah Kimmins, Ph.D. (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), The Paternal Sperm Epigenome Serves a Critical Function in Embryonic Development.
• Kevin Osteen, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee), Developmental Dioxin Exposure Negatively Affects Fertility and Pregnancy Outcomes in Mice for Multiple Generations.
• Cheryl Lyn Walker, Ph.D. (University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, Texas), Developmental Reprogramming of Cancer Susceptibility by Environmental Estrogens.

Novel RNAs in Reproduction

Chair: Shannon M. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas)

• Richard M. Schultz, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), The Role of Small RNAs in Oocyte Development.
• Shinichiro Chuma, Ph.D. (Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan), Mammalian Tudor-Related Genes in the Male Germline.
• Martin M. Matzuk, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas), Small RNA Function in Ovarian Cancer and Reproduction.

Laneta Dorflinger, Ph.D. (FHI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), Reproductive Science: Expanding Choice, Empowering Women, Securing the Future.

Geoffrey L. Greene, Ph.D. (University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois), Hormone Mimetics as Reproductive Allies and Enemies: SARMS, SERMS, and EDCs.

David J. Dix, Ph.D. (EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), Preventing Environmental Risks to Reproduction in Humans and Wildlife Using Computational Toxicology.

Gail S. Prins, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois), The Impact of Estrogens and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Prostate Disease.

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

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.

Marisa S. Bartolomei, Ph.D.(University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennyslvania), Epigenetic Regulation of Genomic Imprinting.

Joe Leigh Simpson, M.D. (March of Dimes Foundation, White Plains, NY, USA). Genetic Causes of Premature Ovarian Failure (POF).

Petros Marangos, Ph.D.(University of Ioaninna, Ioannina, Greece).The DNA Damage Response in Mammalian Oocytes.

Jon M. Oatley, Ph.D.(Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA). Title to be announced.