Amir Arav
Dr. Arav is a leading scientist in the field of cryobiology and reproduction. He founded Galcore ltd, IMT Ltd, Core Dynamics Ltd and FertileSafe LTD, all of these companies specialized in the fields of Cryiobiology and were based on Dr. Arav’s patents.

Dr. Arav has received his Bachelor degree of Animal Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. His PhD degree in neuroscience physiology and biomedical engineering was a combined project of the University of Bologna and the University of California at Berkeley. Post doctorate was done at the Center for Biostabilization, University of California at Davis.
Dr. Arav developed the Minimum drop Size (MDS) vitrification technique which is the state of the art for oocytes and embryos cryopreservation.
He has published his research in over 150 scientific papers, in peer-reviewed journals. Filed over 100 patents and is the recipient of many prizes for basic and applied research. Chairman of Cryo 1, 2 and 3.

DIOGO AYRES-DE-CAMPOS, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Medical School – University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Chair of the Obstetrics Department of the Santa Maria University Hospital, Lisbon. Until January 2017 he worked at the Medical School University of Porto and S. Joao Hospital in Porto, Portugal.
His main scientific areas of interest are intrapartum fetal monitoring and obstetric simulation. He is a co-inventor of the “Omniview-SisPorto®” program for computer analysis of fetal monitoring signals (Speculum, Lisbon, Portugal, 2006), the clinical record database Obscare (Virtualcare, Porto, Portugal, 2002), and was the medical consultant for the development of the “Lucina®” obstetric simulator (CAE Healthcare, Montreal, Canada, 2014).
With an h-index of 30, he has published 139 papers in international Medline-indexed journals, edited 2 international books, and has given 223 invited lectures at international scientific meetings. He was Editor-in-chief of the “Acta Obstetrica e Ginecologica Portuguesa” 2006-2010, and Associate Editor of “ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology” 2012-2014.
He is the President-elect of the “European Association of Perinatal Medicine – EAPM”, Executive Committe Member of the “European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynecology – EBCOG”, and co-ordinator of the European Part 2 Exam. Between 2010 and 2018 he integrated the “Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health committee” at the “International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology – FIGO”, where he co-ordinated the 2015 revision of the “FIGO guidelines on intrapartum fetal monitoring”. He participated in the World Health Organisation consensus panels for “Recommendations on antenatal care” and “Intrapartum care and reduction of unnecessary caesarean section”.
He is the President of the “Federation of Portuguese Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology – FSPOG”, a Board member of the Subespeciality in Maternal-Fetal Medicine of the Portuguese General Medical Council, and presided over the “National Commission for Reduction of Cesarean Section rates”, nominated by the Portuguese Ministery of Health.

Education
Graduated from Tel Aviv University (TAU), Board certified in Ob/Gyn in Israel and USA.
1983;1992: Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Israel and USA
1984-1987, NIH Fellow in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, Department of Ob/Gyn, Hospital of University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia
2009: Member of world College of Reproduction; Chairmen of Scientific Program, Venice, Italy
Medical Experience
1989: Professor, Tel Aviv University
1991-2007: Chairmen, Department of Gynecology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, and Golda Campus
1997: Incumbent of the Tarnesby Chair of Fertility and Fertility Regulation Tel Aviv University
1999-2005, President, Israeli Menopause Association
Currently, IVF unite, Laniado Medical Center
Congress Experience
1989: Secretary, 6th world Congress in “In Vitro Fertilization’, Jerusalem
Founder and Chairman of the Mediterranean Sea Congress, Eilat
2006: Co-Founder, World Congress on Controversies in Obesity, Diabetes and Hypertension (CODHy)
2006–2007: Founder & Co-Chair, Gender Based Medicine World Congress
1999 – present: Founder and Chairmen, COGI-World Congress of Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Scientific Publications
About 400 Scientific Publications; 2 books written 12 books edited
Reviewer and previously editorial board in International Journals including F&S
Founder and editor of a Series of debates entitled “Controversies” in the “J of IVF and Genetics”
Supervisor of MD thesis to numerous doctors
Advisor to start up and medical device companies
Biking, Hiking, Skiing, Reading history

Christoph Berg, is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, head of the Division of Fetal Surgery at the University of Bonn, head of the Division of Prenatal Medicine at the University of Cologne and head of the Division of Prenatal Medicine at the Marienhospital in Witten.
C. Berg received his medical degree in 1997 from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in München. He did his residency at the University of Lübeck under the administration of Professor Klaus Diedrich. In 2002 he joined the University of Bonn as Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology under the administration of Professor Ulrich Gembruch. In 2010 he became head of the Division of Prenatal Medicine at the University of Köln under the administration of Professor Peter Mallmann and simultaneously head of the Division of Fetal Surgery at the University of Bonn.
C. Berg has made substantial contributions to the medical literature in the areas of prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects, rare congenital malformation syndromes, multiple gestation, first trimester diagnosis of fetal anomalies, diagnosis and monitoring of fetal growth restriction and fetal interventions.
C. Berg participates on numerous national committees and is currently Vice President of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine (WAPM).
Under his guidance the already well renowned Division of Fetal Surgery at the University of Bonn has evolved to one of the leading institutions for intrauterine therapy in Germany. The spectrum of challenging interventions includes among others intrauterine transfusion, shunting, valvuloplasty, laser therapy of twin-twin transfusion syndrome, minimally invasive fetal surgery and transplacental treatment of arrhythmias. C. Berg is one of the principle investigators of the international TOTAL-trial (Tracheal Occlusion To Accelerate Lung Growth).

Mark Brincat
MRCS, LRCP, PhD(Lond), FRCOG, FRCPI
Professor Brincat served as Chairman and Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with the Department of Health on the Maltese Islands from 1991-2018.He is currently Professor at the University of Malta Medical School (O&G) and Hon. Clinical Professor at Queen Mary University London (QMUL), from Nov ’17 to present (Medical Education). He is also an Associate Dean at QMUL, Bart’s Medical School (Malta).Professor Brincat has held several posts and has served on several committees including ISGE, EMAS, IMS and ESHRE. His academic work was mostly in Gynaecological Endocrinology. He has had a special interest in Menopause and his PhD (King’s College, University of London) concerned work on the relationship of the Menopause and HRT on connective tissue, particularly on the skin and bone.He has presented keynote lectures and published extensively on the subject of the menopause in a broad range of subjects. He also founded the first Maltese ART (IVF) Unit and has also had a long-standing interest in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Prof Brincat continues to lecture both undergraduates and postgraduates and is still actively involved in Menopause and Infertility, recently also picking up an interest in the application of gynaecological laser techniques.

Frank Broekmans (1956), MD, PhD, is a gynaecologist and Professor in Reproductive Endocrinology and Surgery at the University Medical Center Utrecht, since October 2010. He is head of the Department of Reproductive Medicine and chairman of the committee for Science management of division Female and Baby. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the VU Medical Center Amsterdam in 1983, became consultant OBGYN in 1990, completed a Fellowship in Reproductive Medicine at the VU Medical Center Amsterdam in 1993, and received his PhD degree in 1995.
His scientific career has been devoted to the field of female reproductive ageing. Special focus has been on the normal ovarian ageing pattern, assessment of actual and future fertility status, genetic backgrounds of the variation in the ovarian ageing process, and recently the link between vascular and ovarian ageing. At present, he is supervising 6 PhD students and 15 PhD students in total. Within his field of interest he obtained several grants from the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (ZonMW) and the Dutch College for Health Care Insurance.
He has held an Associate Editorship for Human Reproduction between 2005 and 2009, he is the former chairman of the Dutch Flemish Society for Studies on Fertility, he participates in several Advisory boards, is reviewer for Gynaecological Obstetrical Investigation, Fertility Sterility, Human Reproduction, and Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, he was a member of the Institutional Review Board UMC Utrecht between 2012 and 2014, he was chairman of the department Board on Ethical issues in Reproductive Medicine between 2012 and 2015, he is the coordinator of the Board of the Special Interest Group Reproductive Endocrinology of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, he is chairman of the pillar Reproductive Medicine of the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and has published over 243 peer-reviewed scientific papers, contributed 34 book chapters and presented over 124 invited lectures at international meetings.

Sara Brucker
Executive Medical Director, Department of Women’s Health at Tübingen University
Member of Board of Directors ESGE, member of Executive Board AGE, founding member
ISUTx (International Society of Uterus Transplantation). President DGS (German Society of
Senology)
Major fields of research:
Guideline development and implementation
Genital malformations and their therapies
Basic research in breast cancer (new predictions, prognosis factors, minimal residual
dieseases)

Elvira di Pasquo currently works as a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at the University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy. She gained her MD at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome. She is a subspecialist in Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Since 2010, she has been involved in clinical and research roles in the following fields: obstetrics, feto-maternal medicine, and prenatal diagnosis.
Her main research interests include fetal growth restriction, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, diabetes and macrosomia, intrapartum fetal monitoring, obstetric simulation, ultrasound in labor and delivery. She is involved in the implementation of the Italian guidelines on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

GIAN CARLO DI RENZO
MD, PhD, FRCOG (hon) FACOG (hon) FICOG (hon)
Prof. Di Renzo is Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Perugia in Italy. He is Director of both the Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine Center in Perugia and founder of the Permanent International and European School of Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine (PREIS) in Florence. He is full Professor at the Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the I.M. Sechenov First State University of Moscow since 2019. He is coordinating the Women’s Library ( GLOWM ) of FIGO after being General Secretary for two terms (2012-2018) . He holds multiple other positions including Founder & Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, based in London, corresponding Editor of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Editor in Chief of the Chinese Journal (in English language) “Maternal Fetal-Medicine”. He is an Advisory Board Member for the March of Dimes Foundation based in New York. Further, he is a Fellow ad eundem of RCOG and a Honorary Fellow of American ACOG and of Indian ICOG. He is also member of the WHO Strategic Committee on “Maternal and Perinatal health”. Prof. Di Renzo is an Honorary Professor and Doctor Honoris Causa at 16 different Universities throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. He is an Academic Member of the Romanian and Russian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Di Renzo has received six awards for his work in human reproduction and maternal-infant’s health, scientific research, and teaching. He has organized more than 350 international congresses and courses, some of these are held regularly (Diabetes in Pregnancy: DIP, Birth, World Congress of Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, TWINS, etc). His scientific production comprises over 1,300 papers of which more than 400 have been published in peer reviewed international journals and 82 books. He has been an invited speaker in over 1,500 national and international congresses and meetings and in academic courses in over 115 countries.

Jacques Donnez was born in Tournai (Belgium) on 16 July, 1947.
He studied at the Catholic University of Louvain.
He defended his PhD thesis in 1984, entitled “The fallopian tube: normal and pathological
histophysiology”.
He became Full Professor and Head of the Department Gynaecology and Andrology in 1986.
He also founded the Infertility Research Unit of the Catholic University of Louvain in 1986.
He has focused his research activities on three main topics: tubal infertility, endometriosis
and finally, ovarian cryopreservation and transplantation.
He published over 600 original articles in peer-review journals.
Prof. Donnez was the first President of the recently created International Society for Fertility
Preservation (until end of 2010) and has been elected in Februari 2009 at the Royal Belgian
Academy of Medicine.

Professor Olivier Donnez, M.D. Ph.D. received his medical degree in 2000 and his PhD in 2013 from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). He is actually Co-founder and Co-CEO of the Institut du sein et de Chirurgie gynécologique d’Avignon (I.C.A.) since 2016. He is gynaecological and oncological surgeon in polyclinic Urbain V in Avignon, France from 2015. He was the head of department of gynaecology and in vitro fertilization, CHU Dinant Godinne UCL Namur in Belgium from 2005 until 2015. He is involved in research projects in the “Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique”, GYNE pole, of the UCL.
Olivier Donnez is member of the European Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE), European society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO), American association of gynaecologic laparoscopist (AAGL), International society of fertility preservation (ISFP)
He is member of the advisory board of the Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE). He is reviewer for the European Journal of Obstertrics and Gynecology, Plos One, The Journal of Minimally invasive Gynecology and Gynecological surgery. He is a member of the editorial board of Fertility and Sterility.
His daily practice is mainly devoted on the laparoscopic surgical management of benign and oncologic gynaecological pathology and reproductive medicine. His research interests deep nodular endometriosis, uterine fibroids, isthmocele and deep neuromuscular blockade.
He has authored or co-authored more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has delivered more than 120 presentations at international congresses on gynaecological endoscopy and anaesthesiology.

Bart Fauser , MD, PhD, FRCOG, is a consultant, gynaecologist, Professor Em. of Reproductive Medicine, former Head of the Department for Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology and former Chair of the Division of Woman & Baby at the University of Utrecht and the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.

He is a Fellow ad Eundum of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), Honorary member of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), executive Board member and scientific director of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), international member of the (US) National Academy of Medicine, Editor in Chief of Reproductive Biomedicine Online (RBMO), Night in the order of the Netherlands Lion, past member of the board of the Dutch Medical Research Counsel (ZonMW), and past Editor in Chief of Human reproduction Update.

He previously held posts as a Fulbright scholar at the University of California, San Diego; visiting professorships at Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA), Free University (Brussels, Belgium), University of Siena (Italy), University of Southampton (UK), and the University of Adelaide (Australia). He was a past chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) steering committee for infertility guidelines.

His major research interests include the pathophysiology of human ovarian function (including PCOS, and POI), ovarian stimulation, IVF and women’s health (including contraception, menopause and healthy aging). He has published close to 500 peer-reviewed articles (Hirsch factor > 100), is one of the most cited authors in reproductive medicine and his work has been widely covered in the national and international lay press.

Professor Rene Frydman,
Current Positions and Rank:
Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University Paris XIand Head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of AntoineBeclereHospital, since 1990 – Director of Research Unit on Reproductive Medecine
Awards of Distinction:
Officer of the French Legion d’Honneur
Areas of Special Interest and Accomplishments:My special areas of interest in Gynecology and Obstetrics include infertility and high- risk pregnancy. My work in infertility led the first baby born in France as a result of in vitro fertilization in 1982, after embryo freezing in 1986, after PGD in 2000, after oocyte cryoperservation 2010.
My other area of interest has been biomedical ethics. My work in this realm led to many invitations to debate the moral issues created by the use of the techniques of artificial procreation. I have had an active participation in the preparation on the law on bioethics.
I have actively worked with the Medecins du Monde and Medecins sans Frontieres.

Alessandra Graziottin, MD
Alessandra Graziottin is currently Director of the Centre of Gynaecology and Medical Sexology at the H. San Raffaele Resnati in Milano, Italy. She is specialised in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, in Oncology and a certified Psychotherapist in Sexual Medicine.
She is Founder and Chair of the Alessandra Graziottin Foundation for the cure and care of pain in women NPO.
She was Consultant Professor at the Advanced Master in Andrology and Sexual Medicine of the University of Firenze, Consultant Professor at the Advanced Master in Clinical Sexology of the University of Pisa, and Professor at the Master Course of Sexual Medicine for Students of Psychology of the University of Venezia and Salesian University (UPS) of Roma.
Prof. Graziottin has published: 24 scientific books (as author, co-author or editor); more than 90 chapters of scientific books, more than 120 refereed papers and more than 300 proceeding contributions and non-refereed articles; 7 lay books and 8 educational booklets for women. Since 1984 she has been regular columnist on women’s health in Italian national newspapers and magazines.
She wrote, with Filippo Murina:
– Clinical management of vulvodynia (Springer Verlag, 2011);
– Vulvar pain from childhood to old age (Springer Verlag, 2017).
As a leading expert and teacher in Gynaecology and Medical Sexology, with special focus on Chronic Pelvic pain, Vulvar pain and associated comorbidities, she has given more than 1700 lectures (more than 90 state of the art lectures) at international and national meetings and courses.
She is currently:
– Regional Contact for Lombardy for the International Society of Dietary Supplements and Phytotherapy (ISDSP);
– member of the Scientific Board for the “Comorbidity and Psychopathology” Area of the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Motilità dell’Apparato Digerente (GISMAD);
– member of the Core Faculty of the European School of Oncology (ESO);
– member of the permanent International Organizing Committee (IOC) of Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility (COGI);
– coordinator of the Italian Association of Hospital Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (AOGOI) for the Milan Metropolitan Area.
She also served in the Board of:
– the Italian Menopause Society from 1997 until 2001;
– the Italian Menopause Project (PMI) from 1997 to 2007;
– the European Society of Menopause and Andropause (EMAS) from 2000 to 2006;
– the Italian Society of Psychosomatic Gynecology and Obstetrics (SIPGO) from 2002 to 2008;
– the Italian Society of Psychosomatic Gynecology and Obstetrics (SIPGO) from 2008 to 2012, as Vice-President;
– the Italian Society of Gynaecology of the Elderly (SIGITE) from 2003 to 2006;
– the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Paediatrics (SIPPS) from 2008 to 2012;
– the Italian Society of Ginecology and Obstetrics (SIGO), as Coordinator of the Special Interest Area on “Pelvic Pain” (2009-2011);
– the Female Sexual Function Forum, FSFF (2000-2001), as Vice President;
– the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, ISSWSH (2001-2002), as President;
– the International Society for Sexuality and Cancer (ISSC) from 2003 to 2010;
In June 2004 she was awarded the Honorary Membership by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC).

Dr. Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS, is the Chief Scientist and Medical Director at the Center for Human Reproduction in New York, NY.
Dr. Gleicher grew up in Vienna, Austria, where he initiated his medical studies at Vienna University Medical School. After preclinical years, he switched to Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine in Israel, where he graduated and completed a year of rotating internship. He then moved to New York City for a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a fellowship in reproductive immunology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. As Chief Resident he was awarded the Dr. Solomon Silver Award in Clinical Medicine, given annually to “that younger member of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center staff who best exemplifies the ability to apply the advance in research to the practice of clinical medicine.”
Upon graduation, Dr. Gleicher was appointed to the medical school faculty of Mount Sinai School of Medicine as Assistant Professor, in the department as Head of the Division of Reproductive Immunology and given responsibility for all student and resident education in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Two years later he moved to Chicago as Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Immunology/Microbiology at Rush Medical College. He held these positions for 10 years until his resignation in 1990, when he started to concentrate on development of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), which he founded in 1981. Since 1990 Dr. Gleicher has held a variety of academic professorial appointments at Chicago Medical School and, after his move back to New York City, at New York University School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine. Since 1999 he is President, Medical Director and Chief Scientist of CHR-New York and President of the not-for-profit Foundation for Reproductive Medicine. He also holds an appointment as Guest Investigator at Rockefeller University and Professor (Adj.) at Medical University Vienna.
Dr. Gleicher has published over 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers, hundreds of abstracts and book chapters in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, relating to medical complications in pregnancy and to the immune system in reproduction. He served as founding Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology (AJRI), and for 30 years as founding editor of the Journal of In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer, in 1992 renamed Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics (JARG), now an official organ of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). He in addition served and is serving as editor and/or editorial board member on many other medical journals and edited several major textbooks. In 1991, he was awarded Austria’s highest scientific and cultural award, the Austrian Honor Cross for Science and Art for his scientific achievements. In 2009, Dr. Gleicher was invited to give the prestigious bi-annual Patrick Steptoe Memorial Lecture to the British Fertility Society, in recognition of his contributions to advancements in the in vitro fertilization field.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and of the American College of Surgeons, and, in addition to many other societies and professional organizations, a member of the ASRM and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Univ.-Professor Dr. med. Wolfgang Henrich

Position Held
• Director of the Department of Obstetrics and head of ultrasound division, Charité, Campus Virchow Clinic and Campus Mitte, Berlin Germany.
• President of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology Berlin.

Education
1983-1989 Medical school: University of Heidelberg/Germany, San Diego/USA, Zürich/Switzerland
1990-1997 Clinical Education at the Charité, Virchow-Clinic, Berlin
1997 Board Certification for Obstetrics & Gynecology
1999 Board Certification in Feto-Maternal Medicine
2000 Diploma in Fetal Medicine (Fetal Medicine Foundation London UK)
2009 Board member German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine

Memberships and publications
Member of several national and international societies (ISUOG, DGGG, DEGUM, DGPM etc.)
More than 500 national and international publications

Clinical and Research fields
Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy / First and Second Trimester Screening / Fetal Echocardiography / 3D Ultrasound / Noninvasive Prenatal Testing / Prevention of Congenital Anomalies / Intrauterine Therapy / Fetomaternal Doppler Sonography / Preterm Birth / Cervical Assessment / High risk pregnancy and delivery / Peripartum Hemorrhage / Ultrasound in the Labor Ward.

Larry Hinkson In 2011, I was appointed as a full time Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Charité University Hospital Department in Berlin and as of 2017 I have been the leading Consultant in Obstetrics and the deputy director of the Charité Obstetrics Department in Campus Mitte.
The Charité is one of the largest Obstetric Units in Europe with over 5000 deliveries yearly. The Charité Obstetric Department has been consistently voted the best Obstetric unit in Germany for the last 6 years under the directorship of Professor Wolfgang Henrich.
With my background training in Obstetric Leadership, I play a central role in the running and leadership of the unit, which is a referral centre for high-risk pregnancies, not only for Berlin but surrounding regions and international referrals as well. It is a level one tertiary referral centre with advanced neonatal services. I supervise specialized, dedicated, interdisciplinary clinics for high risk pregnancy and medical disorders in pregnancy. I have a special interest in ultrasound in pregnancy especially in labour and operative delivery. I am also interested in the development of clinical pathway systems for the management of breech presentation and high-fidelity simulation training in obstetric emergencies.
The Charité University Department is the largest training facility for medical students in Berlin and is a centre of excellence for postgraduate training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Prof. Dr. med. Dr.h.c.mult. Wolfgang Holzgreve, MBA, FACOG, FRCOG

Wolfgang Holzgreve graduated in medicine from the University of Münster in Germany and in genetics from the University of California in Berkeley.
He became a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in Germany and did his postdoctoral fellowship in reproductive genetics at the University of California in San Francisco. In 1995 he was appointed as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. From there he was recruited back to Germany to become the Medical Director and Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Freiburg. In 2010/2011 he has been on a sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin. Since 2012 he is Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Board of Directors (CEO) of the University Bonn Medical Center.
Prof. Holzgreve´s main research has been in the area of prenatal diagnosis and therapy, and he was involved with the development of invasive techniques such as chorionic villus sampling and Non-invasive Prenatal Diagnosis from maternal blood. His research resulted in more than 600 original papers, more than 10 books, Editorial Board memberships of 15 journals. His Hirsch index is > 60.
He received many awards including the Maternite award, the Liley medal etc, and received seven honorary doctoral degrees. He was President of many professional organizations such as the German Societies of Reproductive Medicine and of Perinatal Medicine, as well President of the Swiss Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Treasurer of the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG) and of the World Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) for six years each.
In 2018 he received the Ordination of First degree (Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse) from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
He has served the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina in various Capacities; and in 2019 was elected into the Executive Committee of the Inter Academy Partnership (IAP).
In 2020 he was reelected as Medical Director and CEO of the Universit Medical Center Bonn for the period of Jan.1, 2022 – Dec. 31, 2026.

Andreas Kaufmann Andreas Kaufmann holds a degree in Biology from the University of Heidelberg (1992). Dr. Kaufmann completed his PhD at the German Cancer Centre working on tumour metastasis and EGF receptor signalling. In 1994, started working on Human Papillomavirus immunology and vaccine development at Loyola University at Chicago. In 1997, he proceeded to University Jena, Germany, and engaged in clinical testing of experimental vaccines and characterization of immune responses to HPV vaccination performing several clinical vaccination studies. The research group moved to Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin in 2005. Andreas Kaufmann is head of HPV research at the Department of Gynaecology. The main interests are i) characterization of tumour-specific immune responses and development and evaluation of tumour vaccination strategies ii) epidemiology of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer and development and introduction of screening methods, iii) cancer stem cell biology and targeted treatment. HPV testing is performed for diagnostic purposes on patients and subjects recruited into studies. In addition the biologic and immunologic features of cancer stem cells of HPV-related cervical and head-and-neck cancer are investigated. Several cervical cancer screening implementation trials in LMIC were supported by the lab. The emphasis is on translational research making innovative methods and therapies available to patients.

Asma Khalil Khalil is a Professor of Obstetrics and Maternal Fetal Medicine at St George’s Hospital, University of London. She is the Obstetric Lead of the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA). She gained her MD(Res) at the University of London in 2008. She also has a Masters degree in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and an MRC scholarship. She is a subspecialist in Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Since 2008, she has maintained busy clinical (Obstetrics, Fetomaternal Medicine), research and teaching roles. Asma is the Lead for the Twin and Multiple Pregnancy service at St George’s Hospital. She also leads the Reproductive Health Research Group at St George’s Hospital.She has published more than 350 peer reviewed papers, and many published review articles and chapters. She was awarded many research prizes, both at national and international meetings. Her research interests include twin pregnancy, fetal growth restriction, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and infections in pregnancy.She is passionate about innovation. She is the inventor of the HAMPTON, which is an award-winning digital innovation which enables pregnant women to monitor their blood pressure safely at home. She is a National Innovation Accelerator (NIA) Fellow.

She is committed to the implementation of clinical guidelines in practice and believes that they could reduce inequalities in care across the NHS. She had a three year Fellowship with NICE and has been a member of the NICE Clinical Standards and Expert Advisor to the NICE Centre for Clinical guidelines.

She is an Editor for the Ultrasound on obstetrics and Gynecology Journal. She is an International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) Trustee and is an Ambassador to North Africa and the Middle East. She works closely with the Twins trust Charity and together has set up the world-first Twins Trust Centre for Research and Clinical Excellence at St George’s Hospital.

Ludwig Kiesel, MD, PhD, is chairman of the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the University of Muenster, Germany. He studied medicine in Heidelberg,Germany and in London, UK followed by a research fellowship at NIH in Bethesda, Maryland,USA. He is the president of German Society of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Fertility Disorders, the past president of the German Menopause Society as well as of the German Endometriosis Research Foundation (SEF). He is board member of the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS). He has been involved in national and international guidelines on menopause, contraception, endometriosis and endometrial cancer. His research interests focus on hormonal treatment in menopause and endometriosis as well as the mechanisms of cell proliferation and invasion in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. He has performed trials in the fields of endometriosis, oncology, menopause and endocrinology. The main aspect of his clinical work is endoscopic surgery in benign and malignant diseases.

Professor Joop S.E. Laven
Professor of Reproductive Medicine, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam The Netherlands.

Professor Joop S.E. Laven is professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and was initially trained at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. After Medical school he completed his Ph.D. thesis on clinical and experimental aspects of varicocele at Utrecht University in 1991. From 1991 till 1997 he continued his training at the University Medical Center St. Radboud in Nijmegen. In 1997 he became board certified in OBGYN (FRCOG) and moved to the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. In 2000 he became certified subspecialist Reproductive Medicine. He is a member of ESHRE, ASRM, the Endocrine Society, the Society of Gynaecological Investigation (SGI) and the Royal Dutch College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is the past president of the Dutch Society of Reproductive Medicine.
For many years he had a particular interest in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome covering the full spectrum from the effects of the syndrome during adolescence and adult life on the menstrual cycle, fertility, body weight and cosmetic aspects. During the last decade the research focussed on more fundamental effects that PCOS may have on quality of life and long-term health risks as well as the genetic basis of the disease. More recently he was also involved in Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) exploring the genetic basis of PCOS, premature ovarian insufficiency, menarche and menopause.
He has published over 350 peer-reviewed papers and several reviews as well as chapters in books, and has delivered over 300 lectures to international scientific audiences. Books to which he has contributed include Endocrinology, De Groot and Jameson, IVF in the complicated patient, Insulin Resistance and PCOS. He is a past member of the editorial board of Human Reproduction Update, Human Reproduction and the Journal of Endocrine Society. He is a visiting professor at the University of Shandong, Shandong, China. He is also a member of the international guideline groups for PCOS, POI and unexplained infertility within the Center of Research Excellence (WHIRL) Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Currently he is living together with Annemarie Rietveld, he is the proud father of 4 sons: Niels, Pim, Jannes and Loek. In his rare free private time you might see him fly-fishing or biking or just being lazy on these Sunday afternoons listening to Van Morrison.

Ben (Willem) Mol (MD PhD FRANZCOG) is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University. He is focused on the organisation of multi-centric evaluative research in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Fertility. The research is focused mainly upon everyday practices. Born and trained in the Netherlands, Ben was instrumental in setting up a nationwide research consortium in women’s health that produced many landmark studies.
Ben came to Australia in 2014 and started at Monash in 2018. Since his arrival, Ben holds continuous NHMRC funding, including a prestigious investigator grant. During his time in Australia, he developed extensive relations with Asian universities. Ben has mentored >100 PhD students and published >1200 papers, many in high impact journals. A publication in Nature acknowledged Ben as one the most proliferative medical scientists. His professional adage is ‘A day without randomisation is a day without progress.’

Professor Geeta NargundFounder and Medical Director, CREATE Fertility and Lead Consultant for Reproductive Medicine services at St George’s Hospital, London.Affiliations: President, International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction (ISMAAR).
Board Member of the British Red Cross.
Board of the charity- London Emergencies Trust.
Director, Walking Egg Foundation, a Belgian Charity.
Member of the Guild of Health Writers, UK.
Founder and CEO, CREATE Health Foundation.

Awards: “Woman of the Year Award for Charity and Community work” by RED magazine in December 2013.
“RBS Chairman’s Award”, as the Asian Woman of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement awards ceremony, 2014.
Woman of the Year at the 60th Women of Year Anniversary Lunch by Women of the Year, 2015.
Inspirational Woman Award at the 9th Inspiration Awards, 2015.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ) Heroes by the Daily Telegraph in 2015.
Top 10 most influential Asian women in the UK by the Asian Sunday Newspaper to mark International Women’s Day, 2016.
“Doctor of the Year” by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in November 2017.

Publications: Professor Nargund has published several peer-reviewed scientific papers including abstracts and also several book chapters in the field of reproductive medicine and advanced ultrasound technology.

SPECIAL INTRESTS: She is a regular blogger on Huffington Post on Health and Lifestyle.
She introduced Fertility Education in London Secondary Schools.
Campaigner for the welfare and safety of women in IVF.

Dr. Catherine Racowsky, Ph.D., HCLD
Dr. Catherine Racowsky is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emerita, Harvard Medical School and is a University Consultant for Hopital Foch, Suresnes, France. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology at the University of Oxford, her Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology from the University of Cambridge and undertook her post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Racowsky is Immediate Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and has served on several professional committees including the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology Executive Council, the International Taskforce for Stem Cell Research, government oversight committees for reproductive medicine, and the ASRM Practice Committee. She is a past Associate Editor of Human Reproduction and Fertility & Sterility and is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, and a member of the editorial boards of Fertility and Sterility and Reproductive Biomedicine Online. Her research interests include investigating the effects of maternal and environmental factors on oocyte quality, studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying oocyte maturation in vivo and in vitro, expanding methodologies for assessing human embryo developmental competency, and improving quality control and quality management in the clinical IVF laboratory. She has authored over 150 peer-reviewed papers on various aspects of mammalian oocyte and embryo physiology, has published numerous news releases and book chapters, and has co-edited seven books.

Laura Rienzi is a Senior Clinical Embryologist and IVF Laboratory Director.
She obtained her biological degree magna cum laude at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ and a Master degree in “Reproductive Medicine” at the University of Padua. Since 2016 she is Adjunct Professor of Biotechnology in Assisted Reproduction at the Faculty of Biology at the University of Urbino, in Italy.
Author and co-author of 205 articles, reviews and book chapters (Scopus H-Index 44).
From 2020 Laura is Scientific Director of GeneraLife, International Reproductive Medicine network (13 IVF Centres in Italy, Spain, Sweden and Czech Republic).
For further information link to:
http://www.generaroma.it/equipe/direzione-laboratorio-pma-dott-ssa-laura-rienzi/

Professor Ute M. Schaefer-Graf is chairwoman of the Berlin Center for Diabetes & Pregnancy at St. Joseph Hospital in Berlin which serves as a tertiary Center for Perinatale Medicine. She is gynaecologist with specialisation in both Perinatale Medicine and Diabetology. Academically she is associated with the Charité, the University Hospital of the Humboldt University. She published in several areas of diabetes and pregnancy including congenital anomalies, lipid metabolism, amniotic fluid insulin and maternal postpartum testing after GDM. Her research interest is ultrasound and management of GDM with focus on fetal parameters. Since 2000, she is speaker of the German Diabetes & Pregnancy group and is responsible for the implementation of guidelines in the field of Diabetes and Pregnancies.

Edgardo Somigliana graduated in Medicine in 1994 and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1999. In 2006, he completed a PhD in Prenatal Medicine. Since 2001, he is working as a clinical physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Fondazione Ospedale Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan, Italy. Since 2012, he is the Head of the Infertility Unit of the hospital. Since 2016 he is also Associate Professor at the Università degli Studi of Milan, Italy. His major scientific interests are infertility and endometriosis. He is author or co-author of more than 300 articles in international journals.

Dr Thomas Tang graduated from the University of Aberdeen and did most of his specialist training in the Yorkshire region. He was awarded a postgraduate degree of Doctor of Medicine by the University of Leeds in 2007; his research focused on fertility care for women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
He became a Consultant Gynaecologist and Specialist in Reproductive Medicine in 2010 and joined the team in the Regional Fertility Centre, Belfast in 2012. He is also interested on postgraduate education and is currently an associate editor in the RCOG journal ‘The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist’.

Filippo Maria Ubaldi is Medical Doctor, Clinical Director at the GENERA Centres for Reproductive Medicine and Scientific Director of GeneraLife, International Reproductive Medicine network (13 Centres in Italy, Spain, Sweden and Czech Republic).
With academic degrees in Ob & Gyn, Masters in Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, PhD in Andrology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, he is also intensely dedicated to scientific activity.
Author and co-author of 199 scientific papers with Scopus H-index of 52, he has been invited as speaker at 449 National and International congresses on the topic of Reproductive Medicine. 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 and 2019 he received the Italian National Scientific License as full Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and at the present is the Chairman of the Italian Society of Fertility and Sterility (SIFES).
For further information link to:
http://www.generaroma.it/equipe/direzione-clinica-dott-filippo-maria-ubaldi/

Dr. Vassena earned a DVM and a PhD in Biotechnology applied to reproduction from the University of Milan, Italy. She has worked and trained in Canada and the United States, and has been a researcher at the National Stem Cell Bank in Barcelona, Spain.
Since 2011 she is the Scientific Director of the Eugin Group, where she directs the group international research, and supervises directly the group’s basic research unit.
Dr. Vassena is Associate Professor of translational medicine at the University of Barcelona; she is the co-director of the international master’s degree in human assisted reproduction techniques at Pompeu Fabra University, and the president of the Eugin ethics committee for clinical research.
Dr. Vassena is co-author of more than 90 scientific articles in high-impact international journals, has been the coordinator of the ESHRE stem cell special interest group, and has served for 4 years on the Executive Committee of the same society.

Prof. Gerard H.A.Visser
Emeritus professor Obstetrics and former head of department, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Member and past chair FIGO Committee Safe Motherhood Newborn Health. Former president of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine. Honorary Fellow of the Flemish, South African, Royal ( British; fellow ad eudem) and Romanian Colleges of O&G and of the German Perinatal Society. Awarded the Maternity price of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine in 2016. Research interests: fetal ( neurological) development, fetal monitoring, asphyxia, IUGR, cesarean section, diabetes and pregnancy. Over 480 PubMed articles, which have been cited over 33.000 times according to Google Scholar; supervisor of 73 completed PhD projects.

Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz is a Professor of Mammalian Development and Stem Cell Biology at the University of Cambridge. Her passion lies in understanding how the embryo is built and how embryonic cells decide their fate for the very first time. This passion led her to reveal the remarkable self-organising and self-correcting properties of embryos, pioneering the way for many studies of human and mouse embryogenesis. She directed studies of her team to create a technique that doubles the amount of time that human embryos can be cultured in the laboratory so they can reveal the beginnings of human life during embryo implantation.