Dr. Michael Fakih Consultant Obstetrics & Gynecology/Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility. Medical Director of Fakih IVF Group

Dr. Michael Fakih is Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Consultant with over 30 years of experience. He is recognized as a leader in the field of assisted reproduction and is responsible for over 35,000 IVF deliveries. His continuous efforts in innovation of new techniques has made him a pioneer in his field. He has been listed in 2008 as one of the top 15 American Lebanese of all time in the category of Medicine. Dr. Fakih is the Medical Director of Fakih IVF, UAE, IVF Michigan, USA, and Founder of FIRST IVF, Lebanon. In addition, he is Associate Professor at Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine.

Dr. Rupin Shah, MCh Fakih IVF Abu Dhabi & Dubai, U.A.E.

With over 28 years of experience, Dr. Rupin Shah is a well-known, internationally recognized expert in the field of Male Infertility and Sexual Dysfunction with specialty in Sperm Mapping, needle aspiration TESA and micro-dissection TESE procedures. He is the pioneer of male reproductive microsurgery in India and is the developer of the first Indian Penile Prosthesis. Dr. Rupin has been actively involved in teaching for 20 years and has published over 100 articles and chapters on Male Sexual Dysfunction and Male Infertility.

Membership: Member of the Editorial Committee of the Indian Journal of Urology 1995-1998, Hon. Visiting Andrologist at Institute for Research in Reproduction (Indian Counsel for Medical Research), Peer Review Panel of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India.

Education: Dr. Rupin received his M.B.B.S. from Bombay University with 1st Rank, Distinction in Surgery. He went on to receive an M.S. in General Surgery and an M.Ch in Urology, also from Bombay University.

Awards: Dr. Rupin has received over 20 prestigious awards for his work in this field, including the DR B C Roy award from the President of India in 2008, granted for developing Andrology as a super-specialty in India.

Dr. Amal Al Shunnar, MD Fakih IVF Dubai, UAE

Dr. Amal Al-Shunnar is an Emirati Consultant IVF, OB/GYN and co-founder of Fakih IVF with over 20 years of experience in her field. After completing her training in IVF and Infertility in the UK and Ireland, Dr. Al-Shunnar returned to the UAE and worked in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of Al Wasl Hospital before joining her family's practice, Al Shunnar Polyclinic in 2003 as a Consultant IVF, OB/GYN. At this time, she also began working with Dr. Michael Fakih at Dr. Fakih Gynecology and Obstetrics Center before they together opened Fakih IVF Dubai in 2011.

Membership: Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Education: Dr. Amal obtained her Medical Degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and trained in some of the most prestigious medical hospitals in Europe, the Hammersmith Hospital in London and Rotunda Hospital in Dublin. After obtaining her Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (MRCOG), she completed her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology in London and is certified in Advanced Gynecological Endoscopy.

Dr Fady Sharara, MD The George Washington University, School of Medicine, Washington, D.C, U.S.A.

Fady I. Sharara, M.D, FACOG, is a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist/Infertility specialist, and a Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist. Dr Sharara is the founder and Medical Director for the Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine (VCRM) in Reston, VA and is a Clinical professor in the dept of OB/GYN at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Dr Sharara has published more than 70 scientific papers and book chapters. He is the editor of “Ethnic Differences in Fertility and Assisted Reproduction” published in 2013.

Dr. Sue Hammoud, Ph.D. University of Michigan, MI, USA

Dr. Sue Hammoud is an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan in the Department of Human Genetics. Dr. Hammoud received her Ph.D. at the University of Utah. As a postdoctoral Helen Hay Whitney fellow she has explored how chromatin regulates germline stem cell development and tissue homeostasis. Currently, Dr. Hammoud’s lab – a recipient of the NIH innovator award - is investigating the cellular and genetic factors required to make a healthy and developmentally competent gamete.

Dr. Ahmad Hammoud, MD, MPH IVF Michigan Fertility Center, MI, U.S.A.

Dr Hammoud is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist. He received his medical degree from Saint Joseph University. He finished his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University in Michigan. In 2005, Dr. Hammoud completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where he stayed on faculty for 6 years as an assistant professor. He currently serves as the Medical director of IVF Michigan in Bloomfield hill, Michigan, USA. Dr Hammoud received multiple local and national awards for excellence in clinical care, medical education and infertility research. His professional interests include effect of environment and diet on fertility, abnormal sperm testing, and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

Dr. Mohamed El-Said Eid Consultant IVF, OB/GYN

Dr. Mohamed El-Said Eid, Consultant IVF, OB/GYN, has over 15 years of clinical experience in IVF and OB/GYN. He received his medical degree from Cairo University in 1997 where he has been a professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility for more than 10 years. Concurrently, since 2000, he worked as a Senior IVF Consultant in Saudi Arabia at a medical center that completed 1000-1500 IVF cycles per year. While there, Dr. Eid designed the policy for prediction and management of Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome and introduced the usage of 3D-Ultrasounds in their infertility work-ups. In addition, he modified the ovarian stimulation protocol and set up their PGD program. He is an expert in the field of gynecological endoscopy, with many years of experience in performing both laparoscopies and hysteroscopies. Dr. Eid’s specializes in treating recurrent miscarriages and fetomaternal medicine. He has 19 publications in scientific journals.

Membership: American Society of Reproductive Medicine, European Society of Human Reproductive Endocrinology and Middle East Fertility Society.

Education: Dr. Eid received a MBBCh degree with honors from Cairo University in 1988. He continued at Cairo University, receiving his M.Sc. of Obstetrics and Gynecology and MD of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1997.

Languages Spoken: Arabic, English

Dr Ali Elhousseini, MD Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Royal Oak, MI

Dr Ali is a board certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist who completed his residency at the Medical College of Georgia (2009) and was appointed as assistant professor at Emory University (2009-2011) and at University of North Texas (2012-2015). He completed three years of fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Perinatology Research Branch in affiliation with Wayne State University (WSU) and Detroit Medical Center. He is also expected to defend his PhD in Reproductive Sciences-Physiology in May 2019. On July 1st, 2018, he joined the faculty of Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine along with a continued joint research work with Wayne State University. His published work includes 6 first author manuscripts and 10 co-author manuscripts. He also has 20 accepted abstracts. In addition, he presented his work at three national meetings. Dr Robert Taylor included him as a secondary co-investigator (5%) on a U01 grant, Atlanta Center for Translational Research in Endometriosis “ACTRE”. Emory University, Atlanta, GA. He also contributed to and presented an abstract on “A Phase II, Non-Randomized Study of Abraxane plus Carboplatin in Patients with Recurrent Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian or Primary Peritoneal Cancer: Evaluation of the response and survival and progression-free survival” for which he was the first author. His main interest and current research focus is preterm birth.

Dr Federico Mariona, MD, MHSA, FACOG, FACS Wayne State University School of Medicine, MI, USA

Dr Federico Mariona is certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine and Health Services Administration; joined the Faculty at Wayne State University School of Medicine where he organized and directed the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the original Hutzel Hospital in Detroit, where he was vice chief of Obstetrics. He is a Clinical professor at the School of Medicine and member of the Board of Governors and Advisory Group for Learning Communities.

He initiated the first in-hospital area dedicated to the care of high-risk pregnant women, including a fetal surveillance unit and a multidisciplinary multi-institutional fetal treatment team from Wayne State University specialists, including fetal cardiology. He performed the first fetal bladder amniotic shunt and started the first chorionic villus sampling program in the state. Dr Mariona is Past President of the Perinatal Association of Michigan, the Michigan Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists where he also served as secretary of District V, the Wayne County Medical Society of SE Michigan where he continues to serve in the executive council. He has served on the ACOG’s committee on obstetric practice, adolescent pregnancy and the fetal infant mortality review team organizing task force. He is a member of the Michigan Maternal Mortality review committee for the Michigan Department of Health and Human services and the Maternal Perinatal Health Care Committee of the Michigan State Medical Society. Member of the Executive Committee of the Michigan ACOG

Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health. Dr Mariona maintains an active international commitment related to maternal and perinatal care. He continues in the active practice of maternal fetal medicine in Wayne County, and is co-director of the division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Beaumont Health System in Dearborn, Michigan.

Prof. Jacques Donnez Department of Gynecology, Catholic University of Louvain - Brussels, Belgium

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 February 2009 at the Royal Belgian Academy of Medicine.

Dr Peter Schlegel, M.D., F.A.C.S. The New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University, NY

Peter N. Schlegel, M.D., F.A.C.S., is Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and James J. Colt Professor and Chairman in the Department of Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Urologist-in-Chief at The New York Presbyterian Hospital and. His Senior Clinical Dean responsibilities make him the chief academic officer for Weill Cornell Medicine. He has been recognized for his clinical and research activities in Urology by numerous national and international awards. He currently serves on several Editorial Boards and is former co-Editor of the Journal of Andrology. He is a former trustee of the ABU (American Board of Urology.)

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Schlegel developed his academic urologic career during residency with definition of the neurovascular anatomy of the pelvis, research performed under Dr. Patrick Walsh at Johns Hopkins. This anatomical work helped to form the basis for the procedure of "nerve-sparing" radical retropubic prostatectomy (for prostate cancer). After completion of his residency at Hopkins, he developed a special interest in endocrine action and male reproductive function. After a fellowship at The Population Council at Rockefeller University, he joined the staff at Cornell's Medical College in New York City. Dr. Schlegel has developed novel hormonal therapies for men with impaired testosterone production, was principal investigator on US and international trials for GnRH agonists for prostate cancer, and has developed protocols for genetic testing of infertile men as well as to define the prognostic role of these tests in male infertility treatment. He has also developed performed and published on novel techniques for sperm retrieval for azoospermic men. His technique for sperm retrieval in men with non-obstructive azoospermia referred to as "microdissection TESE" has been adopted at many centers around the world as an optimal approach for treatment. He has treated over 4,000 men with severe male infertility.

Dr. Schlegel has published over 250 original manuscripts and dozens of book chapters. He has been an officer of numerous medical societies, including the Executive Council of the American Society of Andrology, on the Board of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, President of the Society for Male Reproduction/Urology, Society for the Society for Reproductive Surgeons, and Society for the Study of Male Reproduction. Dr. Schlegel has been a visiting professor, lecturer, and invited speaker at dozens of countries throughout Asia, the South Pacific, South America, Europe, and the Middle East, recently a keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Asian Male Meeting and National Chinese Andrology meeting in Shanghai in March, 2017.

Dr Vitaly Kushnir, MD, FACOG Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC

Born in the former Soviet Union, Dr. Kushnir emigrated as a child to the U.S., where the family settled in Salt Lake City, Utah. After majoring in biochemistry at the University of Utah he pursued medical school at the New York Program of the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University in Israel. He then returned to the U.S. for a residency in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at UMDNJ – Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where he was a recipient of the Resident Research Award. After a 3-year fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, Dr. Kushnir joined the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in New York City in 2012. As Director of Continuing Medical Education, Dr. Kushnir leads CHR's visiting scholar program. Dr. Kushnir also serves as Director of CHR's Fertility Preservation Center and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.

Dr. Kushnir is an active member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Endocrine Society and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). He previously served as a consultant for the Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as Junior Fellow Chair of ACOG’s New Jersey Section. Dr. Kushnir has been a recipient of numerous research awards, including the Excellence in Research by a Fellow, awarded by Emory University in 2012 for his research in the role of mitochondria in female reproductive aging. Dr. Kushnir is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

Dr. Kushnir has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and abstracts, with a keen focus on ovarian physiology and aging. He is also a vocal advocate for reform of IVF outcome reporting systems of the CDC and SART, to ensure that patients have access to accurate and transparent data regarding performance of IVF centers. In addition to presenting at multiple professional society meetings, Dr. Kushnir has also authored many book chapters on topics in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Dr. Kushnir speaks Russian.

Dr Young Yoon Family Medicine Residency clinical OB/GYN preceptor Beaumont Health System, Troy, MI

Dr. Young Yoon is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. He graduated from University of South Florida and went to Des Moines University for medical school. Dr. Yoon completed his residency at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital in 2011 and has been in private practice since. He is passionate in women’s health with special interest in nutrition. Dr. Yoon specializes in minimally invasive treatment options including Laparo-Endoscopic Single-Site surgery (LESS) and Robotic surgery. He is married and has three beautiful daughters.

Dr. Mitchell Rosen, MD University of California, San Francisco

Mitchell P. Rosen, MD is founding director of the fertility preservation program at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He holds board certification in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Embryology. He is director of the department’s reproductive laboratory and holds high complexity lab director (HCLD) certification. His dual expertise in clinical and laboratory medicine lends unique perspective to his practice as well as his research. His ongoing research seeks to optimize ovarian stimulation protocols and improve fertility preservation outcomes. His research has resulted in numerous publications in multiple journals and has authored many textbook chapters.

Prof. Marie-Madeleine Dolmans Fonds National de Recherche Scientifique (FNRS)

Marie-Madeleine Dolmans earned her medical degree from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Brussels in 2000, and her PhD degree on "Cryopreservation and transplantation of human ovarian tissue" in 2006. She divides her time equally between clinical and research activities. She succeeded Prof. Donnez as Head of the Gynecology Research Unit at the Université Catholique de Louvain in October 2012. She is board member and secretary of the International Society for Fertility Preservation, serves on the editorial board of Fertility and Sterility and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction. Her extensive publication work covers fertility aspects of ovarian tissue cryopreservation, fibroids and endometriosis.

Dr Wael Salem

Dr. Wael Salem is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He joined CCRM Minneapolis in 2018 after practicing Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in Los Angeles.

He received his undergraduate degree from University of California in Berkeley and his medical degree from Mayo Medical School College of Medicine. Dr. Salem also holds two master’s degrees – one in Public Health from the University of Cambridge and the second is in Clinical, Biomedical and Translational Investigations from the University of Southern California.

During his residency for Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California in San Francisco, Dr. Salem received the Outstanding Resident in Minimally Invasive Gynecology award. After his residency, he completed his fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

In addition to presenting his research at prestigious medical conferences around the globe, Dr. Salem has authored numerous publications for notable peer-reviewed journals, including notable journals, including the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and the Journal of Surgical Oncology.

Prof. Alberto Revelli, MD, PhD S. Anna Hospital, University of Torino, Italy

Born in Torino, Italy, in 1959. Degree cum laude in Medicine (1984), Specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology (1988), PhD in Obstetrical and Gynecological Sciences (1996) at the University of Torino, Italy. From 1999 to 2005 Researcher in Obstetrics and Gynecology, from 2006 to 2015 Aggregate Professor and from 2015 to date Associate Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at S. Anna Hospital, University of Torino, Italy. Since 1999 lecturer of Reproductive Biotechnology and In Vitro fertilization at the School of Medical and Molecular Biotechnology, at the School of Medicine (degree in Obstetrics), at the Specialization Schools in Gynecology and Obstetrics, in Endocrinology, in Medical Genetics, in the PhD course of Clinical Sciences, in the II Level Master course in Physiopathology of Reproduction and ART, University of Torino. Presently Director of the Physiopathology of Reproduction and IVF Unit at S. Anna Hospital, Director of the II Level Master course in Physiopathology of Reproduction and ART, IVF consultant at LIVET Clinic for Assisted Reproduction in Torino, Italy and member of the Group of Fertility Experts of Italian Ministry of Health. Author of 102 articles on peer-reviewed journals (PubMed), 2 books, 28 book chapters and several articles on proceedings, with H index = 26 (2/12/2018).

Prof. Claus Yding Andersen, MSc, DMSc University Hospital of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark

Claus Yding Andersen is Scientific Director of Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark and Professor of Human Reproductive Physiology within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. He is educated as MSc (1979) and DMSc (1997).

Professor Andersen was a member of the team that introduced IVF to Denmark in the mid-1980s, is senior accredited ESHRE embryologist and have worked as a consultant in more 10 fertility clinics nationally and internationally. During the last twenty years he has headed a national program of cryopreservation of human ovarian and testicular tissue. He is considered one of the pioneers in this field and continue to expand the indications for the use of ovarian tissue cryopreservation in different clinical settings.

Professor Andersen's major research contributions have been in ovarian endocrinology, oocyte maturation, cryopreservation of gonadal tissue, human embryonic stem cells and development of new principles for ovarian stimulation including the introduction of the agonist trigger and novel approaches to luteal phase support.

He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers. He is a much-requested international lecturer and is currently giving around 30 international lectures annually. His current H-index is 65 with more than 14.000 citations. His is currently chief editor on the Reproduction section in Frontiers in Endocrinology.

Prof. Bahaeddine M. Sibai, MD

Dr. Baha M. Sibai, Professor, Department of the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences which is part of the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). He is the Director of the largest Maternal‐Fetal Medicine fellowship program in the country, and has active clinical practices at Memorial Hermann‐Texas Medical Center and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, part of Harris Health System. Dr. Sibai has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society for Maternal‐Fetal Medicine, and the 2018 ACOG Hall of Fame All‐Star Status. He is a founding member and past president of the North American Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy and past president of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension and Pregnancy. He has served on the Task force for Hypertension and written/co‐authored numerous research studies on preeclampsia. In addition, he served as an examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1995‐2013.

Dr. Sibai is an internationally recognized researcher and clinician in Maternal‐Fetal Medicine at The McGovern Medical School – UTHealth Houston in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. Dr. Sibai has an extensive history of grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and has led several multi‐center clinical trials.

Dr. Sibai is a leading authority in the care and treatment of women with preeclampsia, eclampsia, preterm birth, rare obstetric syndromes, medical and surgical disorders in pregnancy and medical and obstetric emergencies during pregnancy and childbirth including postpartum hemorrhage. He has published more than 650 peer‐reviewed articles in various scientific journals as well as numerous chapters in text books, and was the Editor of several text books.

Dr. Alfred Khoury, MD Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA

Doctor Alfred Khoury completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency training at the Greater Baltimore Hospital Center (July 1978-June 1982) and he completed his Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship training at the University of California at Los Angeles (July 1982-June 1984).

After the completion of his subspecialty training in June, 1984, he returned to St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland to direct the Division of Perinatology.

In 1987, he joined Perinatal Associates of Northern Virginia and the Inova Fairfax Hospital as Director of Perinatology.

At Inova Fairfax Hospital, Doctor Khoury served a 2-year commitment as the Medical Staff President from 2007-2009. Before that time, he served as an IFH Medical Officer in the Vice President role for 4 years from 2003-2006. He served 18 years on the IFH Medical Executive Committee from 1996-2014. He served as IFH Chairman of the Credentials Committee, IFH Bylaws Committee and IFH Nominating Committee. He served leadership roles with the George Washington University OBGYN Residency program from 1994-2014 and holds faculty titles at GWU and the Virginia Commonwealth University medical schools. He has held key roles at Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Graduate Medical Education Committee, Inova Health System Medical Affairs Council, has been the chair of the Inova Health System OB Collaborative Committee since 2012 and the Chair of the Inova Fairfax Hospital OB Committee since 2012 as well as the Vice Chair of Obstetrics in the IFH Department of OBGYN. With regards to hospital administration leadership work, he has been a member of the Quality and Patient Safety Committees along with the CEO Search Committee.

Doctor Khoury is a Diplomat of both the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Dec 1985-lifetime) and the Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Feb 1987-lifetime) and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Professor Scott Nelson

Scott Nelson is the Muirhead Chair in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Glasgow. He undertook his medical training in Glasgow with a PhD in fetal therapy from the University of Dundee. Further clinical academic training was undertaken in Glasgow as a Clinician Scientist in maternal medicine and assisted conception, with appointment to the Muirhead Chair in 2008. His

Professor Nelson’s particular area of expertise is in the use of biomarkers to individualize care. He has published landmark papers on assisted conception in The Lancet, JAMA and Plos Medicine and has an H-index of 57. He currently holds grants from the US National Institute of Health, The European Union, Wellcome Trust and the UK Medical Research Council in reproductive medicine.

Dr. Ghassan Lotfi, MD Al Zahra Private Hospital - Dubai, UAE

Dr. Ghassan started his practice as an obstetrician/gynecologist in Scandinavia in 1990, after publishing his post-medical fellowship thesis on “Hormonal receptors in endometrial cancer” in 1989 in Sankt-Petersburg. Within 20 years of service in Scandinavian countries, Dr. Ghassan received the Swedish board in OB/GYN in 1998, followed by the Finnish and Norwegian OB/GYN board in 1999 and 2000 respectively, working as head of department in Finnish regional hospitals, and consultant in the university hospitals of Ulleval (Oslo), Soder and Karolinska (Stockholm).

Since 2010, Dr. Ghassan has been working in private and public hospitals in the U.A.E., where he helped build service of excellence in minimally invasive surgery in the DHA, and got it accredited from the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy- SRC/ AAGL. Dr. Ghassan is the current president of the Emirates Endometriosis League, and has special interest in endometriosis and problems of chronic pelvic pain.

Besides skills in advanced endoscopic surgery, Dr. Ghassan has extensive experience in dealing with high risk pregnancies and pregnancy-related pathologies while working in obstetric tertiary centers in Scandinavia and Dubai. Dr. Ghassan is Swedish/ Finnish citizen and from Lebanese origin. Swimming, music and travel are some of his hobbies. He is married and has four children.

Dr. Mandeep Singh, MD MRCOG Women's & Children, Southend Hospital NHS Trust

Dr. Mandeep Singh is Clinical Director of Women and Children Directorate at Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He is also the Director of Kypros Nicolaides Fetal Medicine Centre.

Mandeep completed medical school and MD in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in India before moving to the UK. He further trained in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in East of England deanery, Cambridge and subspecialist training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Mandeep has worked as research fellow at Harris Birthright unit, King’s College Hospital, London and has completed Diploma in Fetal Medicine and Advanced Diploma in Obstetric Ultrasound at Royal College Of Obstetrics &Gynaecology, London. Mandeep is a visiting faculty at Manipal University Hospital and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.

Mandeep has particular interest in prevention of preterm delivery, preclampsia and is the PI of several large multicentre research studies. He has published papers on these topics in New England Journal of Medicine and other peer reviewed international journals.

Dr. Sean Blackwell, MD University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston, USA

Sean C. Blackwell MD is a Professor and Chair (appointed 2011) of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School-University of Texas Health Science Center Houston (UTHealth). Dr. Blackwell completed his undergraduate degree as a double major in the classics and biology at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. He martriculated medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1993, and completed both his obstetrics and gynecology residency and maternal fetal medicine fellowship at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He joined UTHealth in 2007, and also serves as the Director of the Larry C. Gilstrap M.D. Center for Perinatal and Women’s Health Research and as an Assistant Dean for Healthcare Quality in Perinatal Medicine and Women's Health. Dr. Blackwell is the Chief of Service for Obstetrics and Gynecology for Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center. In 2014, Dr. Blackwell earned his Six Sigma-Lean Black Belt at the University of Houston.

Prof. Nikolaos P. Polyzos, MD, PhD Dexeus University Hospital, Grupo Dexeus Barcelona, Spain

Dr Polyzos is the Clinical and Scientific Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine of Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona Spain. He is a Professor of Gynecology in the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Free University of Brussels in Belgium and a Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology in the Department of Clinical Medicine in the University of Aarhus in Denmark.

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 aging, with more than 150 invited lectures in international congresses. He is a 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 2600 citations and an h index of 30 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.

Ms. Colleen Lynch, BSc. MSc. CooperSurgical Fertility and Genomics Nottingham, UK

Colleen started working in the embryology field in 2004, following the completion of her undergraduate studies in Genetics and post graduate studies in Medical Genetics. She is currently working towards her PhD in Preimplantation Genetics under Professor Darren Griffin at the University of Kent. Having worked as a both a Clinical Embryologist and Genesis Genetics PGT Laboratory Manager, she joined CooperGenomics™ full time in 2017. Colleen joined CooperSurgical Fertility and Genomics Solutions as Training and Scientific Manager in 2018, with specific focus on training in trophectoderm biopsy and supporting lab teams on its introduction.

Colleen has lectured on PGT at many international conferences and has co-authored a number of scientific papers and book chapters. Additionally she has extensive knowledge of ISO:15189 standards, works with UKAS as a technical expert, and is an honorary lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University on the Clinical Science MSc for the Scientist Training Programme (STP) in Reproductive Science.

Dr. David Chrimes PhD CooperGenomics, UK

Dr Chrimes is a PhD molecular geneticist with 14 yrs experience in molecular diagnostics. After working at various UK University and Research Institutes in the early 2000s, he joined BlueGnome in Jan 2005.

Dr Chrimes was instrumental in delivering state of the art copy number genomics analysis solutions to the clinical market including the CytoChip and BlueFuse Multi visualization software. Many of these advances were made through the management of research collaborations with leading hospitals in both the UK and USA. In 2008, BlueGnome launched the 24sure product line for aneuploidy testing of embryos and Dr Chrimes used his extensive experience of genomics data analysis to drive the innovation in embryo genomic data to aid interpretation of the sometimes complex data. The result of this innovation is that the vast majority of global PGS is preformed using 24sure/VeriSeq PGS and in 2012 BlueGnome was sold to Illumina.

Dr Chrimes was Associate Director in the Illumina Reproductive Health Group where he continued to innovate genomics analysis including embryo analysis, targeted genomics disease panels through to whole genome sequencing analysis.

In 2016 Dr Chrimes started at Genesis Genetics to help drive advances in their embryo testing and after the acquisition in April 2016 of Genesis Genetics by Cooper Surgical Industries (USA), Dr Chrimes took on a split role of both the Director of Clinical Services and the Director of Global Genomics Business Development (outside the US). This role ensures Dr Chrimes is both driving innovation in genomics testing and also gaining regular insights to the challenges faced by IVF clinics today.