Research Currently Funded - ASRM Research Institute

2023 Pilot and Exploratory Award Recipients

Bluma Lesch, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, “Natural variation in epigenetic poising in sperm of men undergoing assisted reproduction"
Alisha Tolani, MD, University of California, San Francisco, “The PIoUS Study: Sperm Preparation prior to IntraUterine insemination”
(Supported by an Educational Grant provided by EMD Serono)
Patricia Hershberger, PhD, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN, University of Michigan, “A Developmental Study to Extend the Donor Conception Tool to Empower ParentaL TeLling (TELL) and Talking for Use During Pregnancy”
(Supported by an Educational Grant provided by EMD Serono)
Audrey J. Gaskins, ScD, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, “Microplastics and Male Fertility”
(Supported by Legacy, Inc)
Lisa Vrooman, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University – Oregon National Primate Research Center, “Placental PREP Function in Spontaneous and Assisted Reproductive Technology Pregnancies"
(Supported by The Maya's Wings Foundation)
Winifred Mak MD, PhD, UT Health Sciences at San Antonio, “A study to elucidate the role of abnormal sperm DNA fragmentation in human recurrent pregnancy loss"
(Supported by the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association)

Jun Wu, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, “Studying molecular mechanisms underlying human implantation and implantation failure using a pluripotent stem cell blastocyst model”

Karen Schindler, PhD, Rutgers University, “Determining Sirtuin 7 mechanisms that protect age-related genome stability in oocytes”
Jamie Lo, MD, MCR, Oregon Health and Science University, “Identifying Epigenetic Changes in Spermatozoa of Sexually Mature Rhesus Macaques Following Chronic Marijuana Use”
Joshua Halpern, MD, MS, Northwestern University, “A Pilot, Randomized Clinical Trial of Universal Home Semen Analysis Screening for the Evaluation of Male Infertility”

Tsegaselassie Workalemahu PhD, MSc, University of Utah, “Inherited Genetic Variants and Unexplained Recurrent Pregnancy Loss”

Rachel West, PhD, Auburn University, “Using a 3D human trophoblast stem cell model to investigate the sexual dimorphism of the placental innate immune response”

Brent Monseur, MD, ScM, Stanford University, “Drivers of assisted reproductive technology use and associated reproductive and mental health outcomes in women by sexual orientation - results from national longitudinal cohorts”
Zachary Walker, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “Evaluation of sperm centriole distribution and composition on fertility outcomes in men with and without male factor infertility – a prospective study”

Kathryn Coyne, MD., University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, “Altered endometrial cell progesterone responsiveness in the etiology of endometriosis and infertility”
Riwa Sabbagh, MD., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Boston IVF, “Concurrent in situ characterization of chromosome and gene expression to create a three-dimensional map of discarded human blastocysts”

Ahmed Balboula, Ph.D., University of Missouri, “Determining if Reduced Autophagic Activity is Responsible for DNA Damage-induced Aneuploidy in Aged Oocytes”
Karen Berkowitz, M.D., University of Iowa, “CHTF18 Regulates Meiotic Cohesion and DNA Crossover formation to Safeguard the Quality of the Ovarian Reserve”
Tracy Harrison, M.D., University of California San Diego, “Effects of Androgen on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Transgender Men”
Winifred Mak, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Austin, “Establishment and Characterization of Miscarriage-specific Human Trophoblast Stem Cells”
Rachel Mejia, D.O., University of Iowa, “Randomized Controlled Trial of Combined Letrozole and Clomiphene (CLC II) Versus Letrozole Alone for Women with Anovulation”
Reshef Tal, M.D., Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, “The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Recurrent Implantation Failure”

Heidi Cook-Andersen, MD, PhD/Louise Laurent, MD, PhD (co-PI’s), University of California, San Diego; "Defining the molecular basis of successful implantation and pregnancy of the human embryo to improve IVF success"
Werner Neuhausser, MD, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; "Identification of transcriptomic and epigenetic coordinates for post-implantation human embryonic development"
Gary D. Smith, PhD, HCLD, University of Michigan; "Human Embryo Mosaicism: Towards Understanding Longitudinal and Developmental Genetic Concordance Between Embryonic Trophectoderm, Inner Cell Mass, and Stem Cells"

Rachel Weinerman, M.D., Case Western Reserve University, “Impact of repeated blastocyst vitrification and trophectoderm biopsy on embryonic gene expression and embryonic development in a mouse model”
Eve Feinberg, M.D., Northwestern University, “Characterizing Fertility Concerns among Women in Academic Medicine and Evaluating the Economic Impact of Fertility Preservation for Deferred Reproduction”
Lynae M. Brayboy, M.D., Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, “Dysfunctional MDR-1 disrupts mitochondrial homeostasis in the oocyte and ovary”
Joseph Letourneau, M.D., University of Utah, "Effect of Alkylating Agent Chemotherapy on the Uterus of Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Exploring the Uterus as a New Frontier for Fertility Preservation"
Amanda Kallen, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine, “Noncoding-RNA-Mediated Mechanisms for Regulation of Follicular Quantity and Quality”