In this episode of the Future Conceived podcast, we celebrate the remarkable achievement of Dr. Diana Monsivais, this year's recipient of the prestigious SSR Virendra B. Mahesh New Investigator Award. This award recognizes outstanding research completed and published within the twelve years (or within the years) after earning a doctoral degree, signifying scientific excellence and dedication to advancing reproductive health. Dr. Monsivais is known for her innovative work that deepens o...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, we delve into the extraordinary moment life begins: egg activation, the precise signal that jolts the egg out of its arrested state and launches embryonic development. We are joined by Professor Karl Swann (Cardiff University), a world-leading expert who has spent four decades decoding the chemical interactions between sperm and egg. Dr. Swann explains why the entire process depends on a series of small, rapid bursts of calcium . These repeated calci...

In this highly insightful episode of The Future Conceived, host Cam Schmidt talks with Dr. Carmen Williams, Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the 2025 winner of the SSR Research Award. Dr. Williams, whose lab investigates the critical events of fertilization, shares groundbreaking findings on calcium signaling during egg activation. You will learn: Why the simple components of in vitro culture media, specifically calcium and magnesium ratios, d...

Join host Cameron A. Schmidt, PhD, as he kicks off a new series celebrating the vital role of the egg in sexual reproduction. This episode features a conversation with pioneering developmental biologist Dr. Mariana Wolfner of Cornell University. Dr. Wolfner has spent nearly fifty years utilizing the powerful genetics of the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to dissect the fundamental mechanisms guiding sex determination and development, spanning from genetics and molecular biology to evol...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, Dr. Fei Zhao, University of Wisconsin-Madison, sits down with Dr. Marcella Pecora Milazzotto, Federal University of ABC. Dr. Pecora Milazzotto is the 2025 Fuller W. Bazer SSR International Scientist Award. Listen in as Dr. Pecora Milazzotto discusses her relationship with SSR, her research and career development stories, and her advice to trainees.

This episode, the conclusion of our mini-series on sperm capacitation, features physicist Dr. Meisam Zaferani discussing sperm motility through the lens of search theory and active matter physics. Dr. Zaferani explains how the sperm, which he calls an "autonomous natural robot," overcomes the massive challenges of movement at the microscopic scale, where movement is dominated by fluid viscosity rather than inertia. To maximize their chance of reaching the egg, sperm constantly adapt their swi...

In this episode of The Future Conceived we begin a new series, Alternative Careers in Reproductive Biology, which explores jobs for reproductive biologist outside of academia. Dr. Victor Ruthig from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus interviews Dr. Eglė Ortega about Dr. Ortega’s non-academic career as a reproductive biologist. Dr. Ortega is a Senior Embryologist on the In Vitro Fertilization team in Advanced Reproductive Medicine & Gynecology at the Fertility Institute of ...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, host Cam Schmidt talks with Dr. Melanie Balbach, an assistant professor at Michigan State University, about the fascinating world of sperm metabolism. Dr. Balbach, an expert in biochemistry and molecular biology, sheds light on the process of sperm capacitation, the essential maturation step that gives sperm the power to fertilize an egg. From the moment of ejaculation, sperm undergo a dynamic transformation, shifting from a state of metabolic dormancy...

Welcome to Future Conceived, the official podcast of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. In this episode, host Cam Schmidt chats with Dr. Pablo Visconti, Professor of Animal and Veterinary Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sperm maturation doesn't end with ejaculation, but instead continues in the female reproductive tract through a series of complex biochemical changes. This maturation process, known as capacitation, can make or break sperm success and its inde...

Welcome to The Future Conceived, the official podcast of the Society for the Study of Reproduction! In this episode, host Cam Schmidt has a fascinating conversation with Dr. Marisa Bartolomei, Perlman Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania and the esteemed winner of SSR's 2025 Training Mentoring Award. Dr. Bartolomei shares insights into her unique journey, transitioning into reproductive biology as a faculty member after starting in other fields like ge...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, the official podcast of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), host Dr. Pam Monahan welcomes the editorial team from Biology of Reproduction (BOR), the flagship journal of SSR. Listen in as BOR's Editor-in-Chief Dr. Romana Nowak, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Mary Zelinski, and Publications Manager Ms. Jenny Kimball discuss exciting new features and updates at BOR. This insightful conversation provides a run-through of the academic peer-review publishi...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, Dr. Pam Monahan, Northwestern University, sits down with Francesca Duncan, Northwestern University. Dr. Duncan is the 2024 recipient of The Roger V Short Medal and Lecture award. Listen in as Dr. Duncan discusses her team's aim to understand the mechanisms that drive ovarian aging, her advice to young reproductive scientists, and being the 2024 Roger V Short Medal and Lecture award recipient. Dr. Duncan also touches on how trainees can maximize their t...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, Dr. Yu-Ying Chen, postdoctoral fellow at NIEHS and member of the SSR Virtual Education Committee, sits down with Dr. Francesco DeMayo, the 2024 recipient of SSR’s highest honor, The Carl G. Hartman award. Dr. DeMayo is the the Chief and Senior Investigator in the Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS / NIH). Listen in as Dr. DeMayo discusses his career trajectory, his ...

In this episode of The Future Conceived, Dr. Victor A. Ruthig, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, sits down with Rhasaan Bovell, a third-year PhD candidate conducting cheetah research at Cornell University and the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Listen in as Rhasaan updates us on advances in cheetah conservation since our last podcast on the topic in 2022. Rhasaan also talks about his scientific journey and shares advice to young blossoming scientis...

What happens when your scientific observations conflict with literature? Do challenging scientific dogmas impact the way we do research, and can it even impact our career? Listen close to the interview of Dr. Greg Johnson and Dr. Ky Pohler from Texas A&M University by Dr. Pete Hansen from University of Florida, and learn how some aspects of their research are calling into question some of our current understanding in placental biology and maternal recognition of pregnancy. Dr. Johnson and...