The Future of Reproductive Health

On 01.03.23 and 02.03.23, The Future of Reproductive Health meeting took place at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.

It was organised by Dr Jackie Maybin (CRH PI) and Dr Douglas Gibson (CIR & CRH Associate) and was targeted at early and mid-career clinical and discovery scientists.

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Picture of Dr Jackie Maybin presenting

 

The meeting included oral presentations, poster sessions, international speakers (the keynote lecture was by Kristina Gemzell Danielsson, Karolinska Institutet) and a focus on engaging with the public / policy makers / industry.

There was a strong CRH representation.

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Picture of Professorial Careers' discussion
Professor Hilary Critchley (Interim Co-Director of CRH) and Professor Philippa Saunders (CRH Associate and CIR PI) reflected on their careers and discussed the future challenges and aspirations across reproductive biology.
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Picture of the Horne Lab Group
The Horne Lab
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Picture of Philippa Saunders awarding Varsha Jain (left)
Dr. Varsha Jain (Critchley lab) won the best poster category for her research into heavy periods and fibroids and adenomyosis.

 

The CRH’s Professor Andrew Horne shared tips on how to engage with industry and the general public, and offered advice on how best to get research published.

Junior doctor Scott Mackenzie (Horne lab / EXPPECT) presented his findings derived from GWAS on gabapentin efficacy in women with chronic pelvic pain, winning the best oral presentation prize.

PhD students Frankie Hearn-Yates and Katherine Edgley (Horne lab) presented their work on non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions for endometriosis symptom relief and their understanding of the symptoms of endometriosis through smartwatch data, respectively.

Heather Flanagan, a PhD student (supervised by Professor Norah Spears / Dr Lance Lin / Professor Andrew Horne) shared her findings on cigarette smoke and the risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Dr Mike Rimmer (Mitchell lab) gave an update on his work on the novel impacts of EVs in the pre-pubertal testis in response to chemotherapy exposure.

Dr John Reynolds-Wright (Sharon Cameron research group) discussed his data derived from the C-PLAN study (Clotting Parameters after medical Abortion). He was awarded runner-up in the short oral presentation category.

 

In the poster category, Clinical Research Fellow Dr Kathleen Duffin (supervised by Professor Norah Spears and Professor Rod Mitchell) was runner-up with her review on fertility preservation practices in the UK. 

The CRH Reproductive Sciences master students Bethan Rowley, Lorna Salvini and Elizabeth Torres-Arce also had the opportunity to network and present their posters at the conference.

It was super to see such a strong and successful representation from the CRH and to hear overwhelmingly positive feedback about the meeting. A particular well done to Dr Jackie Maybin and Dr Douglas Gibson for their hard work and organisational skills. Many thanks to The Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF) for sponsoring the conference.