Upper Midwest Summit for Reproductive Science

The Upper Midwest Summit for Reproductive Science 2025 took place October 13-14 at Prentice Women's Hospital in downtown Chicago. The meeting was titled "Next-Gen Reproduction: Shaping the Future of Reproductive Science and Medicine." The 2025 Planning Committee was led by by Prianka H. Hashim (PhD/MPH candidate in the Duncan Lab) and Hannah McDowell (PhD candidate in the Laronda Lab).

All Planning Committee Members:

• Rhianna Anglin, MS-RSM Student, Northwestern University
• Lauren Haky, Graduate Student, Northwestern Unversity
• Emily Hayes, Graduate Student University of Illinois Chicago
• Kendall Hyde, Graduate Student, Southern Illinois University
• Caroline Kratka, Graduate STudent, Northwestern University
• Ria Marathe, Graduate Student, University of Illinois Chicago
• Reva Marwah, MS-RSM Student, Northwestern University
• María Morales, MS-RSM Student, Northwestern University
• Iris Mutiu, MS-RSM Student, Northwestern University
• Ritwik Shukla, Graduate Student, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Bruna Tatematsu, Graduate Student, Loyola University Chicago
• Erin Vegter, Graduate Student, Michigan State University
• Brittney Williams, Graduate Student, University of Kentucky

Keynote Speakers

Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, PhD, is a Professor of Ob/Gyn at Washington University. She presented the opening keynote lecture: “In Utero Inflammation: Acute vs. Chronic Paths to Preterm Birth and Outcomes.” Rebecca O'Connor, JD, Director of the Center for Policy and Leadership at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, gave the closing keynote lecture: "Advancing Reproductive Medicine in Challenging Times.”

Session Speakers

Session 1: Pre-clinical & Clinical Discoveries Transforming Patient Care

Kathleen O'Neill, MD, MTR, Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania; "Uterine Transplantation: Solving Absolute Uterine Factor Infertility and What's Next”

Session 2: Turning Translational Science into Solutions

Jeffrey Lee, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Toronto; “Modalities to block sperm-egg fusion"

Session 3: Breakthroughs and Innovation in Reproductive Technology

Shaw Innovation Award Talks

The Shaw Innovation Awards were established by Robert Shaw ('70, '81), and Charlene Shaw ('70), both alumni of Northwestern University, to provide funding for sex-inclusive research that focuses on sex-based mechanisms and determinants of health and disease. The Shaw Innovation Awards are given annually to support Northwestern University investigators who conduct or are interested in sex-based research. Recipients from the last two award cycles presented.

• "Sex-specific differences in placental aging” 
  • Alexa Freedman, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Preventative Medicine, Northwestern
• “Age-dependent molecular determinants of skeletal health in male and female mice”
  • Jane Joy Thomas, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Northwestern
• “Neural mechanisms of cost-benefit decision making in males and females”
  • Julia Cox, PhD, Assistant Professor (incoming), Neurobiology, University of Chicago
• “Role of FGF23 on cardiac outcomes in male and female mice with autosomal recessive hypophosphatemia” 
  • Dominik Kentrup, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Northwestern

CRS Alumni Speaker

CRS was pleased to welcome back Jingjing Kipp, PhD, as this year's CRS alumni speaker. Kipp is Associate Professor, Reproductive Biology in the department of Biological Sciences at DePaul University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Kelly Mayo's laboratory at Northwestern University. She spent the time in his lab researching the activin signaling pathway in the ovary. Kipp presented on "Role of Retinoic Acid Signaling in Ovary Development."

Panel: Reproductive Policy

This year's summit featured a panel of experts in the field of reproductive policy Panelists included:

• Rebecca O’Connor, JD, Director of the Center for Policy and Leadership, ASRM
• Joyce Reinecke, JD, Executive Director, Alliance for Fertility Preservation
• Juliet Sorenson, JD, Clinical Professor of Law, Loyola University
• Sarah Rodriguez, PhD, Associate Professor of Instruction, Global Health Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; Lecturer, Medical Education, Northwestern

Trainee Talks

The following trainees were selected to give talks:

• Hannes Campo, PhD, Postdoc, Northwestern University
• Emma Lee, Graduate Student, University of Illinois, Chicago (Constance Campbell Research Award)
• Andy Liu, Undergraduate student, Washington University (Constance Campbell Research Award)
• Leonardo Molina, Graduate Student, UIUC
• Thomas Niepsuj, Graduate student, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Shams Saad, Graduate Student, Purdue University
• Claudia Stroupe, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Pranav Volety, Graduate Student, UIUC (Constance Campbell Research Award)
• Brittney Williams, Graduate Student, University of Kentucky

The remaining 97 abstracts were presented as posters. All trainee posters were judged at the summit and the following trainees received Constance Campbell Memorial Research Awards:

• Chrissy Boody, Graduate Student, Purdue University
• Caroline Kratka, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Marisa Wen, Undergraduate Student, Northwestern University

The Upper Midwest Summit for Reproductive Science 2023 took place October 30-31 at Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center in downtown Chicago. The meeting was titled Reproductive Technologies: From “Conception” to the Future. The 2023 Planning Committee was led by by MSTP student Caroline Kratka and MS-RSM student Marian Charles, both trainees in the Duncan Lab. 

All Planning Committee Members:

• Teresa Chou, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Pooja Devrukhkar, MS, Research Staff, Northwestern University
• Shweta Dipalia, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Chad Driscoll, Graduate Student, Michigan State University
• Samantha Exner, MS Student, Northwestern University
• Endia Fletcher, Graduate Student, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
• Mohammad Mousaei Ghasroldasht, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago
• Dilan Gokyer, MD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University
• Alaina Houghton-Chamberlain, Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin
• Kendall Hyde, Graduate Student, Southern Illinois University
• Hayce Jeon, Graduate Student, University of Kentucky
• Emma Lee, Graduate Student, University of Illinois, Chicago
• Ilka Lorenzo, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• DruAnne Maxwell, Graduate Student, Wayne State University
• Hannah McDowell, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Sierra Orr, MS Student, Northwestern University
• Taylor Schissel, Graduate Student, University of Michigan
• Bruna Tatematsu, Graduate Student, Loyola University
• Janavi Thyagraj, MS Student, Northwestern University

Keynote Speakers

Barbara Vanderhyden, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Ottawa. She presented the opening keynote lecture: "The Aging Ovary and Ovarian Cancer Risk." Lonny Levin, PhD, Professor, Weill Cornell Medical College, gave the closing keynote lecture: "On Demand Male Contraception Via Acute Inhibition of Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase."

Session Speakers

Session 1: Gamete Quality and Assisted Reproduction

Binyam Mogessie, PhD, Assistant Professor, Yale University; "Deciphering chromosome segregation mechanisms in female meiosis"

Session 2: Reproductive Tract Development and Disease

Ripla Arora, PhD, Associate Professor, Michigan State University; "Insights from imaging the implanting embryo and the uterine environment in three dimensions"

Session 3: Innovations in Reproductive Science

Shuo Xiao, PhD, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University; "A small follicle tells a big story"

Shaw Family Pioneer Award Talks

The Shaw Family Pioneer Awards were established by Robert Shaw ('70, '81), and Charlene Shaw ('70), both alumni of Northwestern University, to provide funding for sex-inclusive research that focuses on sex-based mechanisms and determinants of health and disease. The Shaw Family Pioneer Awards are given annually to support Northwestern University investigators who conduct or are interested in sex-based research. 2022 award winner Jennie Lin, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, presented on "Sex-Based differences in Immune-Mediated Kidney Injury," and 2022 award winner Heather Mahoney, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, Schmidt Lab, Department of Neurobiology, presented on "Sex differences in visual modulation of mood and nicotine abuse."

Special Session and Book Signing

Deena Emera, PhD, Senior Scientist at The Buck Institute, presented a special session followed by a book signing to discuss her recent book A Brief History of the Female Body: Evolutionary Insights into the Mysteries of Female Reproductive Biology.

Panel: Innovations and Applications of Reproductive Science

This year's summit featured a virtual panel of reproductive scientists working in industry. Panelists included:

• Mariano Bufone, PhD, Co-Founder & Co-CSO, Fecundis
• Petrina Kamya, PhD, Global Business Development Director, Insilico Medicine
• Marcos Meseguer, PhD, Senior Scientist, IVIRMA Innovation

Trainee Talks

The following trainees were selected to give talks:

• Arpita Bhurke, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Mohammad Mousaei Ghasroldasht, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago
• Emily Hayes, Graduate Student, University of Illinois Chicago (Constance Campbell Memorial Research Award)
• Emmanuel Paul PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Michigan State University (Constance Campbell Memorial Research Award)
• Giangela Stokes, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Bruna Tatematsu, Graduate Student, Loyola University (Constance Campbell Memorial Research Award)
• Russell Urie, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan
• Andres Valdivia, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University
• Shuangqi Wang, Graduate Student, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The remaining 87 abstracts were presented as posters. All posters were judged at the summit and the following trainees received Constance Campbell Memorial Research Awards:

• Harun Cignoz, Graduate Student, Northwestern University
• Maria Victoria Bariani, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago
• McKenna Crossen, Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin-Madison