Wednesday morning plenary
Ovarian Ageing
Professor Richard Anderson, Professor of Clinical Reproductive Science, MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, UK
Richard Anderson is Elsie Inglis Professor of Clinical Reproductive Science at the University of Edinburgh and co-Director of the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health. He trained in Edinburgh, with a WHO Research Fellow post in a hormonal male contraceptive trial, then Subspecialty training in Reproductive Medicine before a year in San Diego. He works clinically in Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology, and provides a specialist endocrinology service to the Edinburgh Gender Identity Clinic. He has interests in both female and male fertility, with a major aspect of this being fertility preservation and the effects of cancer treatments on fertility. He was Chair of the ESHRE Guideline group on Fertility Preservation in women. He has also conducted clinical studies developing our understanding of novel neuropeptides in human reproductive function in men and women, and continues to be involved in trials in male contraception. He is a member of the ESHRE Executive Committee and the HFEA Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee.
Insights from the comparative biology of ageing and consequences of reproductive senescence
Mary Ann Ottinger, Emeritus Professor and Research Professor, University of Houston, USA
Presentation learning objectives:
The comparative biology of aging provides insights into human aging processes. It is important to consider Global One Health and the Exposome in our investigations.
Studies of selected animal models can provide direct testing of specific mechanisms and enable the development of targeted therapies.
Aging processes have many commonalities across vertebrate and even invertebrate species; understanding these conserved mechanisms benefit humans, domestic animals, and wildlife species.
Dr. Ottinger is an Emeritus Professor of Endocrinology in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. She earned a Ph.D. in Zoology, specializing in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology and was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health, studying developmental endocrine processes in non-human primates. Dr. Ottinger is an outstanding scholar and scientist, whose lifelong contributions constitute a cornerstone of our understanding of fundamental neuroendocrine function in birds over the lifespan and the impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals over the life cycle. Dr. Ottinger’s research spans molecular endocrinology and neuroendocrinology to ecotoxicology, focused on fundamental ecotoxicology and comparative field and lab studies to characterize adverse outcomes from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls. Her research in endocrine function in non-human primates and comparative biology of aging provide insights into conserved biological processes across vertebrates. Dr. Ottinger has extensive experience in recruiting and retaining URM trainees in the research pipeline and she has been actively involved in ADVANCE Programs at UMD and UH. She received multiple recognitions including Fellow of Society for Study of Reproduction, Poultry Science Association, Fellow, American Association for Advancement of Science, UMD Sigma Xi Research Award, OECD Fellowship for study at Roslin Institute, Scotland, UK, and Gamma Sigma Delta (National Capitol Area Chapter) Research Award of Merit. Dr. Ottinger mentored over 50 graduate students and postdocs during her tenure as Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is Emeritus Professor. Her far-reaching contributions have been highly impactful for research, biomedical applications, the scientific community, and the public.
Assisted reproduction and the gender politics of ageing
Dr Lucy van de Wiel, Lecturer, Global Health and Social Medicine, King’s College London, UK
Dr Lucy van de Wiel is a Lecturer and Postgraduate Research Director in Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London. She has published an Open Access monograph on egg freezing with New York University Press titled Freezing Fertility: Oocyte Cryopreservation and the Gender Politics of Aging.