Contact: Julie Reid FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston, TX, 77079
(800) 644 3218
(DRAFT. CONFIDENTIAL.)
Reproductive Embryology practitioners are individuals who create human embryos in an Embryology Facility using In Vitro Fertilization. The best known reproductive embryologist, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in medicine in 2010, is Sir. Dr. Robert Edwards.
Reproductive Embryology practitioners perform In Vitro Fertilization and ICSI, embryo biopsy to determine whether the embryo is chromosomally normal, Assistant Hatching, embryo cryopreservation, embryo culture and all other embryology procedures. They decide the parameters and duration of embryo culture, which embryos are worthwhile transferring and which no longer have a chance to continue development. They make critical contribution to deciding when is the time to transfer embryos into the uterus and how many - decision which will not only affect the chance pregnancy but also, the chance of multiple pregnancy and thus indirectly health of the children born as a result of the IVF treatment.
Although patients often assume that their fertility doctor practices embryology, it is not a case. Practice of embryology is a separate and distinctive occupation.
Therefore, for the patients, the choice of the embryology practitioner is very important, particularly considering that costs of embryology services comprise the largest portion of IVF treatment cycle.
Patients are entitled to expect that the fertility clinic has on staff and on site the best embryology practitioner. However, this is not always a case. Federal law does not require any particular credential to practice embryology and there are no standards of training.
Even though majority of IVF clinics have a doctoral degree embryology practitioner on site, there are some IVF clinic with practitioners who only have technical training in reproductive embryology.
Because IVF filed is still relatively new, there are many non-PhDs, practicing reproductive embryology for many years and who have as much knowledge and experience as PhDs, while there are PhDs who have very little expertise in reproductive embryology.
Another important factor to consider is the number of IVF cycles per embryology practitioner. Once again, there are only recommendations for embryology staffing and the workload of embryology practitioners varies widely between the clinics. If embryology practitioner is overworked, the chance of errors increases, while the quality suffers.
To help patients to select a clinic with the most qualified embryology practitioners, EMBCOL has launched “Know Thy Embryologist” campaign.
As a part of the campaign, EMBCOL will:
- Select and profile embryology practitioners of the month
- Create profiles of embryology facility staff for IVF clinics
- Educate patients that they have to carefully review IVF clinic’s web site and inquire about education, experience and expertise of embryology practitioners who work at the site.
IVF cycle is a n major financial investment with no guaranteed outcome. Therefore, it is just a common sense to learn WHO IS YOUR EMBRYOLOGIST?
EMBCOL recommends inquiring about the credentials of the embryology practitioners on staff at the fertility clinic.
The American College of Embryology (EMBCOL) is an organization of embryology practitioners that serves patients, embryologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of reproductive embryology.
The College's mission is to assure that the knowledge and skills of every reproductive embryology practitioner in the United States meets a minimum standard established by EMBCOL through a peer-review process.
Embryology practitioners have vastly different trainings and backgrounds. American College of Embryology has established a certification process to differentiate practitioners according to their level of expertise.
The highest level of certification recognized by EMBCOL is Reproductive Embryologist - EMB. Most of the individuals certified at this level have a Doctoral Degree. If they do not, they have vast experience or other credentials that were vetted by EMBCOL and accepted as evidence of their expertise at that level.
REPRODUCTIVE EMBRYOLOGY PRACTITIONERS OF THE MONTH (MAY 2013)
(this list is provisional)
United States:
1. NORTHEAST Mina Alikani
2. SOUTHEAST Zsolt Peter Nagy
3. MIDDLE WEST Tariq A Shah
4. SOUTHWEST Michael l. Reed
5. NORTH-WEST Klaus Weimer
International:
6. State of Israel - Pavel Itsykson