ASRM Announces 2020 Society Award Winners

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is pleased to announce its 2020 Society Award Winners. Recipients will be celebrated during the ASRM Virtual Gala on October 16th. Below are the 2020 winners and their award descriptions.

The ASRM Lifetime Achievement Award honors a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine who has made exemplary contributions to the field of reproduction during their career. The recipient will have demonstrated innovation, leadership, and other scholarly accomplishments that have a lasting impact on advancing clinical care, the frontiers of research in reproductive sciences, and the education of the scientific community. The 2020 recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are Zev Rosenwaks, M.D., Weill Cornell Medicine, and Alan DeCherney, M.D., National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Rosenwaks is Director and Physician-in-Chief of The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine (CRM). Dr. Rosenwaks developed the United States’ first egg donation program and has been instrumental in developing many contemporary ovarian stimulation protocols central to successful IVF. He also is a major contributor to moderate ovarian stimulation protocols designed to avoid ART complications such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. More recently, he has turned his attention to morphologic and biologic markers of embryo viability.

Dr. DeCherney is currently Deputy Clinical Director for Academic Affairs, Director, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship Program and Head, Reproductive Endocrinology and Gynecology Affinity Group of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. DeCherney is well known for his surgical innovations, as well as those in hormonal support of ART, and genetics. He is a Past President of SART and ASRM.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award for Practicing Physicians honors an ASRM member who, as a practicing physician, has best demonstrated the ideals of compassionate and respectful care for a patient’s physical and emotional well-being. The 2020 recipients of the Humanism in Medicine Award are Alicia Christy, M.D., Veterans Health Administration, and William Gibbons, M.D., Texas Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Christy is Deputy Director of Reproductive Health for the Veteran’s Administration. She supports the portfolio addressing veterans’ reproductive health priorities across the life course and advocates for women veterans. Prior to joining VA, she was a fellowship faculty member and clinical investigator at NIH. During the period 2006-2016, she also served as the coordinator of the CREST program.

Dr. Gibbons is currently Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Director of the Fellowship Program in Reproductive Endocrinology, and Chief of Reproductive Medicine at the Pavilion for Women at Texas Children’s Hospital.

The ASRM Distinguished Researcher Award recognizes an ASRM member who has made outstanding contributions to clinical or basic research in reproduction published during the previous 10 years. The recipient will have demonstrated sustained long-term commitment to advancing the frontiers of research in reproductive sciences and educating future scholars in the field. The 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Researcher Award is Nanette Santoro, M.D., University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Through more than 25 years of research, Dr. Santoro has crafted and implemented key studies in menopausal hormone therapy, the role of obesity in infertility, and how varying socioeconomic and racioethnic factors influence menopausal transition.

The Ira and Ester Rosenwaks New Investigator Award recognizes a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine who has made outstanding contributions to clinical or basic research in reproductive sciences published within 10 years after receiving a doctoral degree or completing residency/postdoctoral/fellowship training. The recipient will have made original research contributions that significantly impact the field independently of his or her mentors. Other factors considered in making the award include conceptual breakthrough, the significance of the research to allied fields of investigation, and development of new and innovative clinical or research methodologies. The 2020 recipient of the Ira and Ester Rosenwaks New Investigator Award is Ranjith Ramasamy, M.D., University of Miami Health System.

Dr. Ramasamy is Director of the Reproductive Urology Fellowship program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His research focuses primarily on male health, including testosterone deficiency, regenerative therapy, erectile dysfunction, and prostate cancer.

The Kavoussi Family Outstanding Teacher Award honors an ASRM member who is recognized as an outstanding educator in undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, professional, or patient education in the area of basic and/or clinical reproductive biology and medicine. The 2020 recipient of the Kavoussi Family Outstanding Teacher Award is Leon Speroff, M.D., Oregon Health and Science University.

Dr. Speroff is a leader in the field of reproductive endocrinology, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, and contraception. He founded the journal, Prostaglandins, focused on the role of prostaglandins in ovulation, luteolysis, and the induction of labor. He also has led research on estrophasic dosing in contraception, providing a new approach to contraception. Dr. Speroff is a Past President of ASRM.

The Suheil J. Muasher, M.D. Distinguished Service Award is intended to recognize and honor individuals or organizations that have provided distinguished service to ASRM. Nominees may be either ASRM members or non-ASRM members. The recipient or recipients are selected based on scientific, leadership, organizational, political, or societal service contributions to ASRM, reproductive medicine and/or reproductive medicine patients. Previous nominees are considered. The 2020 recipient of the Suheil J. Muasher Distinguished Service Award is Kevin Doody, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Doody has served in a variety of positions for SART, including as its president. Over the last several years, Dr. Doody has been an integral part of SART and ASRM’s efforts in international collaboration.

The KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology carries a $20,000 grant awarded by ASRM and supported by the Asia-Pacific Biomedical Research Foundation. The purpose of this award is to provide start-up funds to initiate an innovative research project in regenerative medicine and stem cell technology. Funds are available for salary support, technical assistance, supplies, durable equipment, or other project expenses, but may not be used for indirect costs, or institutional overhead. The 2020 recipient of the KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology is Marina Pryzhkova, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Pryzhkova is a Research Assistant Professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at John Hopkins University. Her research interests include transgenic models, disease modeling, and genome maintenance.

To learn more about the 2020 winners and attend the awards ceremony, click here.