Advisory Committee

Dr. Kyle Orwig (AC Chair) is a Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a member of the Magee-Womens Research Institute. Dr. Orwig is the founding director of the Fertility Preservation Program in Pittsburgh and the UPMC Magee Center for Reproduction and Transplantation. Research in his lab focuses on stem cells, germ lineage development, fertility and infertility. By investigating reproductive function in fertile individuals his lab provides a basis for understanding the mechanisms of infertility caused by disease, medical treatments, genetic defects or aging. His team is committed to helping develop next generation reproductive technologies, including stem cell and reproductive tissue transplantation, for patients with the most difficult infertility diagnoses (no eggs, no sperm) and responsibly translating them into clinical practice.

Dr. Emre Seli is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and Director of Yale Fertility Center at Yale School of Medicine. He also serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of March of Dimes and the Research Director of IVI-RMA USA. His laboratory characterized the mechanisms regulating translational activation of gene expression in the oocyte. Dr. Seli and his colleagues also made contributions to our understanding of oocyte and embryo competence in IVF and the potential role of non-invasive diagnostic technologies in this context. Currently, his primary research focus is ovarian aging. Dr. Seli is the recipient of many National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pharmaceutical industry-sponsored research grants. He trained more than 50 pre- and post-doctoral fellows, published more than 100 scientific articles, and co-edited the 9th edition of Speroff’s Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility.

Dr. Molly Moravek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and the Department of Urology at the University of Michigan, where she is the director of the Fertility Preservation Program and the Associate Fellowship Program Director. Dr. Moravek also has a clinical interest in transgender care and provides gender- affirming hormone therapy and fertility counseling and treatment for transgender and nonbinary patients. She has an NIH-funded transmasculine mouse model to study the effect of gender-affirming hormones on reproduction and offspring. She is also launching a multi-institutional database to track IVF outcomes in transmasculine individuals.

Dr. Lauri Pasch, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She received her PhD in clinical health psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and completed a fellowship in behavioral medicine at UCSF. Dr. Pasch is an NIH-funded researcher, practicing psychologist, and educator with expertise in women’s reproductive health. Dr. Pasch’s research on the psychological consequences of IVF addressed critical questions concerning IVF failure and stress, clinical depression in fertility patients, and utilization of mental health services. She has been part of a team of researchers who have reported on PCOS phenotypes, medical, behavioral, and neuropsychological correlates of PCOS. Her current NIH-funded research collaboration (with Brainlens laboratory) investigates intergenerational transmission of cognitive and brain function using families created via reproductive technologies as a model. She has also been co-investigator in numerous other longitudinal, multidisciplinary research studying adults and and children and has considerable expertise in clinical research design, implementation, interdisciplinary teams, with emphasis on scientific rigor and integrity. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters and is a frequent invited speaker regionally, nationally, and internationally. She also has directed psychological services for the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health for 19 years, where she counsels patients regarding infertility and third-party family-building. She recently co-taught an ASRM year-long course for licensed mental health professionals on essential skills for the fertility counselor. Dr. Pasch also teaches OBGYN residents and REI fellows how to address the psychosocial needs of their patients. She is currently Director at Large on the ASRM Board of Directors, a member of the ASRM Publications Committee, and serves on the Editorial Board of Fertility and Sterility.

Dr. Sheree Boulet is an Assistant Professor and Director of Health Services Research & Epidemiology for the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine. In her current role, Dr. Boulet leads the Department’s Population Health Research Team where her work focuses on health disparities and how social and structural determinants influence maternal health behaviors and outcomes across the lifecourse. Prior to joining Emory, Dr. Boulet worked for over 10 years as an epidemiologist at CDC and conducted public health research and surveillance for a range of maternal and child health topics including preconception health, birth defects and developmental disabilities, contraception, and infertility. From 2012-2018, she managed all research activities for CDC’s National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System, including the redesign of the system in 2016 (NASS 2.0) and the development of the IVF Success calculator. To date, Dr. Boulet has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 6 book chapters.

Dr. Melissa Wellons is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism Vanderbilt University. Her NIH funded research focuses on the relationship between gonadal aging and/or artificial gonadal hormone manipulation and cardiometabolic disease. She has special interests in how the loss of gonadal hormones contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and diabetes. Dr. Wellons works with large epidemiologic studies to explore how reproductive aging contributes to cardiometabolic disease including CARDIA, MESA, and REGARDS. Most recently, she has become involved with the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) to identify immune markers of diabetes risk.

Sarah K. England, Ph.D is the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University. Dr. England’s laboratory has three main lines of investigation: One focus is to determine how ion channels in the myometrium modulate uterine excitability and contractility during pregnancy. Second, her lab is investigating the role and regulation of the oxytocin receptor in controlling uterine excitability. Lastly, they are studying how disruptions in endogenous circadian rhythms affect pregnancy outcomes. Her laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes, and other federal agencies. Dr. England has authored many research and review articles and has reviewed for multiple journals in both basic science and clinical fields. She serves on review committees for multiple funding agencies including the NIH, March of Dimes, American Heart Association, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and worked in the office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for one year working on policies related to maternal child health issues, women’s health, the healthcare workforce, and health disparities. In addition to running her translational research lab, she serves as the Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University and Interim Director for the Center of Reproductive Health Sciences.