Advances in Andrology; Make Sperm Count

Join us on Thursday, February 13th at Avenues in London for either or both: an afternoon of hands-on workshops and an evening of KOL lectures with Q&A and networking. Certificates of Attendance will be available for both sessions.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Dr. Ashleigh Holt-Kentwell

Dr. Ashleigh Holt-Kentwell is currently working as an obstetrics and gynaecology registrar (ST6) in NHS Grampian and aims to apply for subspecialty training in reproductive medicine in the near future. She recently completed a post as a Clinical Research Fellow in reproductive medicine at Aberdeen Fertility Centre, working towards a postgraduate degree (MD) with the University of Aberdeen. This work is now in its final stages and the thesis is titled, "The role of semen analysis in the modern fertility clinic." Previous work undertaken includes an overview review of interventions to optimise pregnancy outcomes in subfertile women.

Andrew Thomson

Andrew is a highly experienced Scientific Director and HFEA Person Responsible based at Avenues in London, the first clinic in the world to use a fully end-to-end AI-driven digital infrastructure that captures the most comprehensive fertility journey dataset.

He has adopted a quality management heavy, evidence-based approach to ART and is passionate about patient access to care. He has presented his research both nationally and internationally on multiple occasions and is a frequently invited speaker on a wide variety of topics across the IVF and AI spectrum. He was just the third person to be awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) and Fellowship of the Academy for Healthcare Science (FAHCS).

He is actively involved in training reproductive scientists to the highest standards and was awarded associate status of the National School of Healthcare Science due to his contributions as a training officer as well as accrediting multiple laboratories to be approved training centres.

He was awarded the Claire Gillott prize by the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists for outstanding contribution in 2020.

Charlotte Hall

Charlotte is the Consultant Embryologist for Lister Fertility at The Portland Hospital. She has been working in the field of reproductive science for 25 years (both research and clinical) with the last 20 years as a Clinical Embryologist. She gained her BSc in Zoology at University College London, a PhD in Reproductive Cryobiology at The Royal Veterinary College and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.

Charlotte has been involved in the set up and delivery of 2 new laboratories over the past 5 years and continues to provide clinical support and training within her team. During this time she has worked additionally as the Quality Manager alongside her Laboratory Management roles and sits as scientific lead for regulatory compliance. Over the years, Charlotte has retained her research links by forming collaborations with laboratories to further research in embryonic stem cells and has been involved with provision of training and assessment for the Scientist Training Programme (STP) following establishment of the first Private Sector training centre for Reproductive Science in 2015. She continues to promote scientific training and awareness as a member of the Allied Health Professions Council for HCA Healthcare UK.

Francesca Steyn

Francesca Steyn is the Head of Service and HFEA Person Responsible at Wales Fertility Institute, The only NHS fertility service in Wales. She is the immediate past chair of the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum and is a Non exec Director of Surrogacy UK, the largest not for profit Surrogacy organisation in the UK.

She has worked in various busy London units in both the NHS and private sectors and has had the opportunity to learn and develop a wide range of skills, including performing surgical sperm retrievals under consultant supervision, assisting with the management of the fertility needs of patients diagnosed with a blood borne virus, managing large donation programmes, leading and implementing surrogacy programmes and building out a remote fertility care service.

Francesca has presented her work on an international level and has co-authored RCN publications and guidance for fertility nursing staff and published Department of Health guidance on surrogacy best practice and care in surrogate births. She was awarded surrogacy professional of the year in both 2018 and 2019 at the National Surrogacy Awards and was awarded the RCN Award of merit in 2023 for her contribution to nursing and the RCN. She is a member of the legislative reform advisory group, appointed by the HFEA to modernise the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act and a member of the NICE Fertility problems: assessment and treatment (update) group.

Prof. Chris Barratt

Professor Barratt is Head of the Reproductive Medicine Group at the University of Dundee as well as a clinical scientist (Hon) with NHS Tayside.Professor Barratt has been awarded a number of honours for outstanding contributions to the discipline e.g. Young Andrologist of the Year, the Professor Sir Robert Edwards keynote lecture at ESHRE.

He was awarded a DSc from University of Birmingham and has a h index of 62.

Professor Barratt is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Professor Barratt will be co Editor in Chief of Human Reproduction from 1st January 2025.

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