2025 ASRM Pilot & Exploratory Research Grant
Pasquale Patrizio, MD, MBE, HCLD, FACOG (University of Miami)
Title: ““Ex vivo” perfusion of whole human ovaries in a bioreactor: a novel method to study ovarian physiology folliculogenesis and oocytes maturity.”
Pasquale Patrizio, MD, MBE, HCLD, FACOG, an internationally renowned specialist in female and male reproductive medicine, is joining the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Patrizio’s discoveries have changed how reproductive medicine and in vitro fertilization (IVF) are practiced worldwide. He arrived at the University of Miami in 2021 as the Divisional Chief and Center of Reproductive Endocrinology Director after spending 17 years at Yale University, directing the fertility center and IVF program at Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Patrizio, who holds a master’s degree in bioethics (MBE), is known for his collaborative approach to patient care and research. He plans to develop a Center for Reproductive Health with a service for transgender individuals, similar to his highly successful program at Yale. He also expects to create a fellowship program with Dr. Paidas to train future generations of reproductive medicine specialists, inviting the audience to be part of this journey.
In his 25-year career, Dr. Patrizio has produced research accomplishments of extraordinary importance and innovation spanning basic and clinical reproductive medicine. For instance, he discovered that the congenital absence of the vas deferens in men is a mild form of cystic fibrosis. This finding is significant as it led to a better understanding of male infertility and paved the way for genetic assessments as part of the clinical assessments for infertile men. He also found that some cases of male infertility are due to deletions on the Y-chromosome, a discovery that has implications for genetic counseling and assisted reproductive technologies.
Dr. Patrizio also co-pioneered the microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) technique to improve male fertility and developed whole ovary cryopreservation via multi-thermal gradient for fertility preservation in women. He also studied new methods for bio-banking gametes, reproductive tissue, and stem cells. In addition, Dr. Patrizio was co-author of the guidelines for fertility preservation in cancer on behalf of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Dr. Patrizio's groundbreaking accomplishments have earned him global recognition as a clinical translational scientist. His work has been celebrated with numerous honors and awards, including the induction as a life fellow member of the International Academy of Human Reproduction, a 36-members-only international group of experts and teachers of reproductive medicine. His achievements are truly impressive and inspiring.
Dr. Patrizio was co-founder and former president of the International Society for Fertility Preservation (ISFP) and immediate past chair of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s Fertility Preservation Group. He has published a leading assisted reproductive technologies (ART) textbook, five additional books, and 211 peer-reviewed original manuscripts. He serves as an associate editor of Reproductive BioMedicine online and the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.
Dr. Patrizio earned his medical degree, which was followed by additional training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Napoli in Italy and a residency in andrology at the University of Pisa. He moved to the United States for a second residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California Irvine, where he completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Dr. Patrizio was then appointed director of the male infertility program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he established a clinical and research program in male infertility.