Female Infertility

Scientific Director

Robert Fischer

Robert Fischer

Fertility Center Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany

Scientific Committee

Carlo Alviggi

Carlo Alviggi

Fertility Unit, University of Naples “Federico II”
Naples, Italy
Gürkan Bozdağ

Gürkan Bozdağ

Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
(TSRM)
REI Clinic
Koc University
Brian Dale

Brian Dale

University of Manchester
U.K.
Sandro C. Esteves

Sandro C. Esteves

Androfert – Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic
Campinas, Brazil
Roy Homburg

Roy Homburg

Free University of Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv, Israel
Jean-Noël Hugues

Jean-Noël Hugues

University Paris XIII
Paris, France
Peter Humaidan

Peter Humaidan

Fertility Clinic, Skive Regional Hospital
Faculty of Health, Aarhus University
Aarhus, Denmark
Antonio La Marca

Antonio La Marca

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults
Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology Policlinico di Modena
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Modena, Italy
Sezcan Mumusoglu

Sezcan Mumusoglu

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Hacettepe University
Ankara, Turkey
Antonio Pellicer

Antonio Pellicer

Valencia University
Valencia, Spain
Nikolaos P. Polyzos

Nikolaos P. Polyzos

Dexeus University Hospital
Barcelona, Spain
Riccardo Talevi

Riccardo Talevi

Dept. Biology
University of Naples "Federico II"
Naples, Italy
Filippo Maria Ubaldi

Filippo Maria Ubaldi

G.E.N.E.R.A. Centre for Reproductive Medicine
Rome, Italy
PC Wong

PC Wong

Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
National University Health System
Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Hakan Yarali

Hakan Yarali

Hacettepe University Anatolia IVF and Women’s Health Center
Ankara, Turkey

· Martin O. Savage ·

Martin Savage is Emeritus Professor of Paediatric Endocrinology at William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London. He was head of the Paediatric Endocrine Unit at Barts and the London School of Medicine from 1982 to 2007. He has interests in growth disorders, specifically those with abnormalities in the GH-IGF-1 axis and in phenotype-genotype relationships of GH-IGF-1 axis defects, notably GH resistance. He published the first human case of an IGF-1 gene defect in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996.  His other interests are Cushing’s syndrome and growth in chronic inflammatory diseases. He was General Secretary of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) from 1997 to 2004. He has lectured in 61 countries and has published 472 original articles, reviews, textbook chapters and books. In 2007, he was awarded the ESPE Andrea Prader Prize for contributions to paediatric endocrinology and in 2018 he received a Visionary Award from the American Human Growth Foundation. In 2022, he received a Research Excellence Award from the Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal in Riyadh, and the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes James M. Tanner Lifetime Achievement Award. He continues to lecture nationally and internationally.

· Robert Fischer ·

Robert Fischer is the founder and Medical Director of the Fertility Center Hamburg (FCH) in Hamburg, Germany. Dr Fischer trained in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University Hospital of Münster, Germany, from 1979 to 1982 and at the Queen’s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, UK. In 1983, Dr Fischer pioneered the first German outpatient IVF unit in Hamburg and became its Medical Director. The unit moved to a new location in 1998, and its name was changed to the “Fertility Center Hamburg”.

In July 1998, the Fertility Center Hamburg was one of the first centres, both in Germany and worldwide, to introduce quality management, and it was certified according to the ISO 9001 and accredited for IVF laboratories (ISO 17025). Dr Fischer’s main research interests are in the development of stimulation protocols, luteinizing hormone supplementation, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist triggering, as well as further development of quality management systems in IVF centres. He is a founding member of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE); a founding member of the POSEIDON (Patient Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeD Oocyte Number) group);  Member of the  Scientific Committee of Excellence in Medical Education (EXCEMED- formerly the Serono Symposia International Foundation) and Scientific director of  Med.E.A.( Medical Education Academy)

· Carlo Alviggi ·

Carlo Alviggi earned his MD degree in 1994, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Naples “Federico II” in Naples, Italy; he specialized in obstetrics and gynaecology in 1998, and gained a PhD in 2001, from the same university. During his career, he collaborated with: The Imperial College of London, in London, UK; the Laboratory of Immunology of the Italian National Research Council in Naples; and the Autoimmunity and Tolerance Laboratory of the University of California in Los Angeles, CA, USA. This network resulted in various publications, some of which concern new hypotheses on the pathogenesis of pelvic endometriosis. He is now an associate professor in reproductive medicine at the Fertility Unit of the University of Naples “Federico II”. Professor Alviggi’s current research interests are the role of luteinizing hormone (LH) in folliculogenesis; the use of LH-containing drugs in patients undergoing ovarian controlled stimulation for IVF; the pathogenesis of pelvic endometriosis; oncofertility; reproductive endicrinology and the genetics of human reproduction. He has participated in several national and international (phase 2 and 3) multicentric, prospective randomized trials. Professor Alviggi has published extensively and has been invited to lecture at over 200 international meetings dealing with reproductive medicine and gynaecological endocrinology; he is also starter and co-founder of the Poseidon group, an international collaborative network dedicated to low prognosis patients in Assisted Reproductive Technology and vice-President of the “Società Italiana di Fertilità e Sterilità – Medicina della Riproduzione”.

· Gürkan Bozdağ ·

Gurkan Bozdag completed his Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Certification training at Hacettepe University. He gave postgraduate and doctorate courses in Reproductive Medicine and Infertility. He has more than 110 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and some of his studies were awarded in the best poster category by The American Society of Reproductive Medicine. He took part in the editorial boards of various international and national scientific journals, including Human Reproduction, Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology, Frontiers in Endocrinology.

He took part in the regulatory boards of national and international symposiums and congresses in the field of reproductive medicine and in vitro fertilization. He also acted as the National Representative of Turkey in ESHRE (2020 – 2022) and as a co-author in the Guideline Development Group of Add-ons

He is currently the 2nd President of the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (TSRM) and is a member of the board of directors of national professional associations. From Jan-2022, he has been the Director of REI clinic in Koc University. He was also assigned as one of the executive member of ESHRE in June 2023.

· Brian Dale ·

Brian Dale, graduated in Zoology from the University of Manchester, U.K., and later received his Ph.D. and subsequently his D.Sc. for his contribution to the understanding of basic processes in fertilization and early embryology. In 2010 he was nominated Fellow of the Royal College of pathologists in London, UK. Dr Dale is attributed with the discovery in 1983 of a soluble factor found in spermatozoa that is responsible for the activation of oocytes. His studies span animals and humans from the identification of ion channels in the plasma membrane of gametes to the processes leading to the formation of the human blastocyst. With over 150 publications in international journals and 9 books on the topic, he is also founder and editor of the International Journal “ Zygote” published by Cambridge University Press and founder of Alpha, an International Society for Clinical Embryologists.

· Sandro C. Esteves ·

Sandro Esteves, MD., Ph.D. is a board-certified urologist and consultant in assisted reproduction with over 25 years of clinical experience in all areas of reproductive medicine, with specialization in male reproduction.

He is listed by Expertscape among the top three world experts in the areas of male infertility, azoospermia, varicocele, and sperm retrieval techniques. Sandro has been also included in the list of the world’s most influential scientists.

He is the Founder and Medical Director of the ANDROFERT Andrology & Human Reproduction Clinic, in Campinas, Brazil. Dr. Esteves established the first Brazilian Fertility Clinic with a primary focus on male infertility, as well as the very first to introduce quality management as per the ISO 9001 standards and IVF cleanroom technology (ISO 14644-1).

Sandro is also a Collaborating Professor of Urology at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP, Brazil) and Honorary Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Aarhus University (Denmark). Dr. Esteves received his Master’s in Surgery from the University of Campinas Medical School and his Ph.D. in Urology from the Federal University of São Paulo Medical School. His post-doctoral training was at the American Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States. He has received many research grants and awards from national and international societies.

Prof. Esteves is the author of 10 textbooks in the fields of infertility and reproductive medicine. He was also the co-editor of several Journal Supplements and has published over 400 hundred scientific papers in journals like Lancet, Nature, Human Reproduction Update, Human Reproduction, Fertility and Sterility, etc. His current Hirsch index (h-index) is 63 while his citation count is over 12K. He is a member of ‘Faculty Opinions’ in the area of reproductive endocrinology & infertility. Dr. Esteves is Associate Editor of Frontiers in Endocrinology (Reproduction), Andrology, International Brazilian Journal of Urology, Regional Editor of the Société Internationale d’Urologie Journal, an editorial board member of Nature Reviews Urology, and a dozen of other peer-reviewed scientific journals. He is also a co-founder of the POSEIDON group and currently serves as a Chair of the Male Infertility Section of the WHO Infertility Guidelines Development Group.

Dr. Esteves is a very much requested speaker and presents over 50 lectures annually. He also regularly conducts infertility workshops, provides consulting services in the area of quality management for ART Clinics,

· Roy Homburg ·

Professor Homburg is an obstetrician and gynaecologist who specialises in reproductive medicine. He has held posts as Professor of Ob/Gyn at Tel Aviv University Medical School, as Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Queen Mary Medical School, University of London and presently at the Hewitt Fertility Centre in the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. As a fertility specialist, Professor Homburg has a worldwide reputation having published 250 research articles and chapters in books and has written or edited 13 books. He has been invited to lecture worldwide very frequently and has won prizes for his research at the British Fertility Society, ASRM, ESHRE and the Israel Fertility Society. He has served as an Associate Editor for Human Reproduction and Human Reproduction Update and as section editor for Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. Professor Homburg was the International Adviser to the SIG Reproductive Endocrinology of ESHRE and is the Principal Coordinator of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility of ISIVF. His main interests are the treatment of infertility, PCOS, ovulation induction, ovarian stimulation and IVF.

· Jean-Noël Hugues ·

Professor Hugues was the head of Reproductive Medicine Unit at University Paris XIII.
He trained in Endocrinology and Gynaecology before being appointed as Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Development.
He succeeded in PhD in Biology of Reproduction at the University Paris XI
He was a member of many international scientific societies (ESHRE – ASRM – SGI)

His interest for the control of ovarian function and ovulation induction led him to conduct several clinical trials and to publish more than hundred articles in peer reviews.

· Peter Humaidan ·

Professor Peter Humaidan is a specialist in reproductive endocrinology, professor at The Fertility Clinic Skive Regional Hospital, Aarhus University, Denmark and Honorary professor at Odense University, Denmark. During his scientific work he has primarily focused on developing individualized treatment protocols for the infertile patient. His doctoral thesis (DMSc) explored the role of LH during the follicular and luteal phases in controlled ovarian stimulation. His main fields of interest are triggering of ovulation with GnRH agonist, role of LH during the follicular and luteal phases, role of the female genital tract microbiota for reproductive outcomes, OHSS prevention, and role of sperm DNA fragmentation for spontaneous and assisted reproduction. He is the founder of the international society “The Copenhagen GnRHa Triggering Workshop Group” who introduced the GnRHa trigger in modern IVF, changing trigger policies worldwide. Moreover, he is co-founder of the POSEIDON group which suggested a new stratification of the poor responder patient, and a past board member of the ESHRE SIG Endocrinology Group. He is in the Elsevier, Stanford global list of 2% top scientists, and he authored and co-authored 250 + articles (H-index 67, Google Scholar) in international peer reviewed journals as well as chapters in textbooks and the Danish guidelines for OHSS prevention. Peter Humaidan has a wide international scientific network and is frequently invited as a speaker at international conferences. 

· Antonio La Marca ·

Antonio La Marca is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mother-Infant Department of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy and he is the Medical Director of Clinica Eugin, Modena, Italy. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Siena in 1996, specializing in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the same institution in 2001. In 2006 he obtained a PhD, again at the University of Siena. He has been working at the Institute of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of the University Hospital of Modena since 2003. His clinical activity covers all the field of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery and has taken part in thousands of IVF cycles, laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgical procedures. Present scientific interests include: ovarian reserve and pharmacological manipulation of ovarian activity. His most impactful articles concerned the physiological significance of AMH and AFC, their measurement and clinical utility. Moreover, he has published a long list of original articles dealing with the prediction of ovarian reserve and response in IVF and the personalization of ovarian stimulation protocols. He is author or coauthor of 128 articles published in peerreviewed journals and authored many 26 Antonio La Marca University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Clinica Eugin Modena, Italy chapters in national and international textbooks. He has been an Invited speaker in more than 100 international congresses. He is involved in several phase three and four trials as Principal Investigator and is the recipient of many competitively assigned research funds. He is an active member of many national and international professional and scientific societies and a consultant for the Italian Ministry of Health for female fertility-related issues.

· Antonio Pellicer ·

Antonio Pellicer studied Medicine at the University of Valencia and obtained his MD Degree in 1978, he became Doctor in Medicine in 1980 in the same University and did his Residency of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hospital Clínico of Valencia, and he also did his Fellowship in Reproductive Medicine at Yale Univ. School Medicine (USA) and at the University of Mainz (Germany). Professor Pellicer founded the ‘Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad’ (‘IVI’) in 1990, and his work in the field of fertility has led to the creation of many ‘IVI’ clinics both in Spain and internationally. He is also President of the ‘IVI Foundation’ for the Study of Reproduction and Director of ‘Equipo IVI’. He is Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1999 and Dean of the University of Valencia School of Medicine, Spain from 2006 until 2012. He is also Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at ‘La Fe University Hospital’, Valencia, since 2009. Professor Pellicer is an Executive Committee member of the ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology); and also of the International Federation of Fertility Societies. He has been President of the Sociedad Española de Fertilidad between 1994-1996. Professor Pellicer have earned it several awards for his contribution to the field of reproductive health, which include the following: he has been seven times awarded the Annual Meeting Prize Paper Award by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, XXV Society for Gynaecological lnvestigation President’s Award in 2002, Rey Jaime I Prize in the category of Clinical Medicine awarded by Foundation Premios Rey Jaime I in Valencia in 2004, Gold Medal Prize of the College of Physicians of Valencia, in Valencia, in 2006, Rotary Flame Award 2007: of Sciences in Valencia in 2008 and Lilly Foundation Biomedical Research Clinic Award 2008, awarded by the Lilly Foundation in Madrid in 2008, and he has recently been named Doctor Honoris Causa by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in Gandia, Valencia in 2011. Pro Academy Prize 2013 rewards their efforts in science and academic life, awarded by The Round Table Foundation. Valencia, 2013. Innovation Award at the XVII edition of the Enterprising of the Year Award organized by Ernst & Young, Madrid, in 2013. Prize “Jacques Salat-Baroux” by the National Academy of Medicine of France, Paris, France, 2014. IVI is named Honorary Ambassador of the Marca España in the category of Science and Innovation. Madrid, Spain, 2015.

· Nikolaos P. Polyzos ·

Dr. Polyzos is the Clinical and Scientific Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine of Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona Spain and a Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology in the Department of Clinical Medicine in the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
He has served as a Medical Director in the Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Brussels until 2017 and as a Professor in Brussels until 2019. Professor Polyzos is the principal investigator in several large pioneering multinational trials and a key opinion leader in the field of Reproductive Medicine for the treatment of poor ovarian responders in IVF programs, prediction of ovarian response and premature ovarian ageing, with more than 150 invited lectures in international congresses.
He is a Section Editor in RBMO, member of the ESHRE guideline development group for ovarian stimulation and has served as an Editorial Consultant for the PIER (Physician’s Information and Education Resource) of the American College of Physicians (ACP).
Professor Polyzos has published more than 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals indexed in Pubmed with more than 3600 citations and an h index of 36 in ISI web of Science. His research interests include reproductive endocrinology, ovarian reserve markers, poor ovarian response to stimulation and genetics of premature ovarian aging.

· Filippo Maria Ubaldi ·

Filippo Maria Ubaldi is Medical Doctor, Clinical Director at the GENERA Centres for Reproductive Medicine in Rome, Marostica, Umbertide and Naples, Italy. With academic degrees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Masters in Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, he is also intensely dedicated to educational, editorial and practitioner activities.
Co-author of 10 books on the topic of Reproductive Medicine, author and co-author of 146 scientific papers of which 131 are peer reviewed journals (PubMed 01/12/2018); author H-index is 43. Editor of the treaty on Reproductive Medicine ‘Medicina della Riproduzione Umana’ published in Italy in 2010. Invited as speaker at 422 National and International congresses on the topic of Reproductive Medicine and has been Scientific Coordinator of 74 congresses and courses. Member of the ESHRE Executive Committee during 2005-2009, he has been Chairman of the 26th ESHRE Annual Meeting held in Rome in June 2010. In 2014 he received the Italian National Scientific License as full Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and between 2014-2015 has been member of the technical advisory board established by the Ministry of Health on heterologous fertilization.

· Peng Cheang Wong ·

Peng Cheang Wong is the Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and a Senior Consultant in the National University Hospital. He was the Head of the Division of Reproductive

Endocrinology & Infertility in the National University Hospital from 2001 to 2017 and the Director of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) Programme in the National University Hospital, Singapore. He was also the founding Director of the Centre for Reproductive Education & Specialist Training (CREST) until 2017 and the first President of the Asia-Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) from 2006 – 2008. He is active in postgraduate education in the field of ART and has conducted and participated in numerous courses in the region.

· Hakan Yarali ·

Professor Hakan Yaralı, MD is the Clinical Director of Anatolia IVF Center and Professor at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Following medical school and residency training in OB/GYN at Hacettepe University, Hakan Yaralı did his clinical fellowship at University of British Columbia, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vancouver, Canada during 1991-1992. He has authored more than 120 articles, eight book chapters and delivered over 50 lectures worldwide. He has roles as a reviewer in top-ranked journals. He was the former president of Turkish Society of Reproductive Medicine (TSRM). He has organized several national, international meetings and preceptorship programs training clinicians from diverse countries. He is directing Anatolia IVF, which is one of the busiest IVF centers in Turkey, performing over 1600 cycles annually. His special interests are clinical IVF-all aspects.