Early Career Ambassador

MOUSA Mira

Khalifa University
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Postdoctoral, genetic epidemiological scientist at the Khalifa University, UAE.

Mira Mousa obtained her PhD from the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health Department at the University of Oxford. Mira is leading the ‘MAR’A Project: Middle Eastern Women Research Association,’ an epidemiological study on women’s health conditions in the Middle East that aims to develop a better understanding of cultural and regional gynecological health patterns. With institutional, stakeholder and governmental collaborations, her research focuses on delineating epidemiological and genomic profiles associated with common gynecological diseases, specifically endometriosis and related co-morbidities, as well as metabolic conditions.

She was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2019 and an Early Career Board member in 2023.

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Early Career Ambassador

PONTRÉ Jennifer

King Edward Memorial Hospital
Perth, Australia

AGES laparoscopic fellow, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, Australia

Jennifer Pontré obtained her medical degree from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and is a newly graduated fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is currently completing a fellowship as an AGES certified laparoscopic surgeon at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth, Western Australia.

She regularly lectures at the University of Western Australia and recently obtained her Masters of Reproductive Medicine through the University of New South Wales. She has a keen interest in research and was the recipient of an AGES research grant in 2017. She has authored several papers and book chapters in the fields of gynaecology and fertility, and is a regular presenter at national and international conferences. Dr Pontré is committed to the pursuit of excellence in the management of endometriosis.

She was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2019

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Early Career Ambassador

FARLAND Leslie

University of Arizona
Tucson, USA

Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.

Leslie Farland has training in biology (AB; University of Chicago) and reproductive epidemiology (MSc, ScD; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Prior to joining the faculty at UofA, she was an Instructor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School and served as the Director of Epidemiologic Research at the Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her research program focuses broadly on gynecologic and reproductive health and can be categorized into four major themes: i) the intersection between gynecologic health and chronic disease risk, ii) etiology and risk factors for endometriosis, infertility, and polycystic ovary syndrome, iii) environmental and occupational risk factors for reproductive health, iv) disparities in access to reproductive health care. She has published over 120 scientific articles on women’s health, with over 40 focused on endometriosis.

She was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2018.

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Additional Board Member

Jacques Maas

WESinars and Education Lead
Veldhoven, The Netherlands

Máxima Medical Center

Gynaecologist, sub-specialist in reproductive medicine, and principal tutor for residents, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands

Jacques Maas studied medicine in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Thereafter he commenced research in endometriosis and wrote his thesis ‘Invasion and angiogenesis in endometriosis; experimental studies in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane ’.

In 2007, he was registered as a gynaecologist and sub-specialist in reproductive medicine. For several years he worked at the endometriosis expertise centre of the department  of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Maastricht University Medical Centre.

Since 2011 he has worked at the woman, mother and child centre of the Máxima Medical Centre of Veldhoven. It was in this hospital that he got the opportunity to establish a multidisciplinary team for endometriosis care. Other aspects of his clinical work include endoscopic surgery, benign gynaecology, reproductive medicine, psychosomatics, and sexual medicine. His research interests focus on these aspects as well. In the field of endometriosis the main research topics are currently treatment of endometrioma, shared decision making, and pain. Jacques serves as a reviewer for national and international journals including the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Fertility and Sterility, and Human Reproduction.

Dr Maas is a co-founder of the Academy of Psychosomatics in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and co-founder and president of the SIG Endometriosis of the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is a member of the advisory board of the Dutch Endometriosis Society, and recently a member of the Endometriosis Guideline Group of ESHRE.

Jacques Maas became a WES Ambassador in 2018

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Additional Board Member

Engin Oral

WCE2027 Co-Presidents
Istanbul, Turkey

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Istanbul, Turkey. President, European Endometriosis League 

Professor Engin Oral MD is a reproductive endocrinologist and a gynaecologic surgeon. He has been working in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology since 1993. His main areas of expertise are: in-vitro fertilization, infertility, endometriosis, gynaecologic endoscopy (hysteroscopy, laparoscopy), reproductive endocrinology, and the menopause.

As of November 2018, professor Oral is the current president of the European Endometriosis League, which he joined as a board member in 2016.

He obtained his medical degree at Istanbul University Medical Faculty, and his adventure with endometriosis started in 1995-1996 at Yale University, New Haven, USA, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (under the division of reproductive endocrinology with the mentorship of professors Aydın Arici MD and David Olive MD). 

In  2009 he founded the Endometriosis & Adenomyosis Society in Turkey and is currently the vice president of the society. In 2012, he organised the 2nd Asian Endometriosis Congress, which took place in Istanbul with his colleagues. After this, in 2016, he hosted an ESHRE Campus as a special interest group in Istanbul. 

Dr Oral has over 50 peer reviewed articles at international academic journals. His research is mainly focused on endometriosis, ART, and infertility.

Engin Oral was appointed a WES Ambassador in March 2019.

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Ambassador

ROMANO Andrea

Maastricht University
Maastricht, The Netherlands

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Andrea Romano PhD graduated in biology (1995) at the University of Bologna (Italy) and subsequently moved to the Netherlands, at the University of Wageningen, where he obtained his PhD in 2002. He then continued his research activity at Maastricht University, where he performed his post doc on steroid hormone receptors (2002-2007) and where he is currently principal investigator and assistant professor at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.

Dr Romano’s professional activity is dedicated to research and the major focus is on steroid hormone signalling in the context of endometrial pathophysiology. His research activities have been financed by prestigious grants from, among others, the Dutch Cancer Society, the European Community, the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the ‘Stichting’ Fertility Foundation. The research of his team has been published in high–impact factor journals like the Journal of Pathology, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Andrea Romano is regularly invited as a lecturer at national and international meetings, like the meetings of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the German Societies of Gynaecologic Endocrinology and of Reproduction Medicine, the International Menarini Foundation, the Dutch Gynaecology Society, etc.

Andrea Romano acts as reviewer for over 30 international peer-reviewed journals, as expert panel for various funding bodies, and he is an advisory board member for Forendo Pharma Ltd in the development of novel drugs for endometriosis.

Andrea Romano served as associate editor for Human Reproduction (Oxford press, 2013-2016) and is currently guest editor of the special issue for the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, entitled ‘Molecular research in endometrial pathophysiology’.

Andrea Romano was appointed as senior deputy of the ESHRE Special Interest Group for Endometriosis & Endometrial Disorders (SIGEED) in 2015 and from 2017 he serves as coordinator-elect. In this context he contributes to the organisation of the annual ESHRE pre-congress courses, the main sessions for the annual meeting, and additional ESHRE campuses/workshops.

Dr Romano was appointed a WES Ambassador in 2018.

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Ambassador

OH Sung-Tack

Chonnam University Medical School
Gwangju, South Korea

Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Chonnam University Medical School, Gwangju, South Korea

Professor Sung-Tack Oh, MD, PhD, is a reproductive endocrinologist and surgeon (especially laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis ). He completed his medical school and residency at the Chonnam University & Hospital of Gwangju in South Korea and his reproductive endocrinology research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. He has two PhD degrees: biochemistry at Chonnam University Graduate School and computer engineering at Honam University Graduate School. He also graduated from the School of Medicine at Chonnam University and Classic Music College at Gwangju University.

He is the president of the Southern Korean Association of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (SKA-MIGS). He is past president of the Korean Society of Endometriosis (KSE) and the Korean Pelvic Pain Society (KCPPS). He currently the chair of the many committees of the Korean Society of Gynaecologic Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Surgery, the Korean Society of Menopause, and the Korean Association of Women’s Sexual Health.

Dr Oh is professor and past director of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Chonnam University Medical School in Korea. He is a member of many professional societies including the Korean Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopist (AAGL), the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgens (SLS), and World Endometriosis Society (WES). He has been an advisor, consultant, and reviewer to professional and patient organisations, and has published and lectured extensively nationally and internationally on endometriosis, assisted reproductive technologies, reproductive surgery, and infertility.

He has cared for about 70 patients/day twice a week at OPD and many operations (mainly laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis ) at three times a week and many hysteroscopic surgery in office-bases for over 30 years in Chonnam University Hospital.

Dr Oh became a WES Ambassador in 2018.

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Ambassador

BEDAIWY Mohamed

University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada

Professor with tenure and Division Head of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Dr Mohamed Ali Bedaiwy MD, PhD, FACOG, FRCSC, is double certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in obstetrics and gynaecology and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr Bedaiwy received his medical degree from Assiut University School of Medicine, Egypt, where he graduated Valedictorian, summa cum laude.

Dr Bedaiwy completed:

  • Residency in obstetrics and gynaecology and reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University Hospital Case Medical Center, CWRU, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  • Fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  • Fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility in the Division of Reproductive Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • PhD from the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Dr Bedaiwy is a prolific author with over 350 peer reviewed papers, abstracts, book chapters, and videos. He was also the associate editor of Human Reproduction (2012-2016) and currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. Dr Bedaiwy has had a career-long interest in high quality medical care, research, and education. He was the scientific programme chair of WCE2017.

Dr Bedaiwy’s research is focused on advancing basic and clinical knowledge about endometriosis, infertility, ART, and early pregnancy complications. He also has interest in minimally invasive surgery and fertility preservation. Dr Bedaiwy has served as chairperson of postgraduate courses at ASRM, WCE, and the AAGL that deal with different aspects of reproductive surgery, endometriosis, and infertility enhancing procedures. He has served on review committees for the NICHD and is an oral examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr Bedaiwy has been the recipient of many international awards for surgical and research excellence at different societies from Egypt, Jordan, Australia, Canada, and USA.

Dr Bedaiwy was appointed a WES Ambassador in 2018.

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Ambassador

GAJBHIYE Rahul

National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health
Mumbai, India

Scientist, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai, India

Dr Rahul Gajbhiye MBBS PhD is a clinician-scientist working at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

He completed his medical school at Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College, Amravati, Maharashtra state, India, and obtained a PhD in applied biology at the University of Mumbai, India. He is a recipient of prestigious fellowships including the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Indo-Australia EMCR Fellowship, Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship. Dr Gajbhiye was also a visiting fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Australia.

He is an international ambassador for the World Endometriosis Society (WES) and a life member of Endometriosis Society of India and the Indian Society for Study of Reproduction and Fertility (ISSRF). He is the past member secretary of the Research Advisory Committee, Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU), Dahanu, Maharashtra state, India, and has contributed immensely to the establishment of MRHRU in Maharashtra state. He was also a member secretary of the Scientific Advisory Committee and Project Review Group of ICMR-NIRRH Field Units and coordinated the research programs at 31 field units of the ICMR-NIRRH located all over India.

Dr Gajbhiye is the recipient of research grants from international (WHO) and national funding agencies (ICMR, DBT, DST and DAE) and is currently heading the research programmes focused on the pathogenesis of endometriosis, non-invasive markers for the diagnosis of endometriosis, pregnancy outcomes in Indian women with endometriosis, genetic risks for endometriosis, and the association between endometriosis and ovarian cancer. He has published consistently nationally and internationally along with two book chapters. He is actively involved in the efforts of World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) for implementing the WERF EPHect Clinical Questionnaire (ECQ) and Standard Surgical Form (SSF). He is instrumental in translating the WERF EPHect ECQ into regional Indian languages. He is collaborating with the gynaecological laparoscopic surgeons and scientists in India as well as abroad with a vision of reducing the burden of endometriosis in India and globally.

Dr Gajbhive was appointed a WES Ambassador in 2018.

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Ambassador

BECKER Christian

University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom

Associate Professor at the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Christian Becker is an  studied medicine in Budapest, Berlin and San Francisco and qualified in 1995. He received his Medical Doctorate Degree at the Freie Universität Berlin in 1998.

Christian then trained in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Charité in Berlin and became fully accredited in 2003. In addition, he did two postdoctoral fellowships at the Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston working on angiogenesis and endometriosis.

In 2005, Christian moved to Oxford where he did an RCOG fellowship in reproductive medicine and surgery as and was appointed as consultant gynaecologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital and senior fellow at the University of Oxford.

Christian’s clinical and research interests focus on reproductive conditions including endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Together with Krina Zondervan he co-directs the Endometriosis CaRe Centre in Oxford leading a comprehensive basic, translational, and clinical research programme on endometriosis at the University of Oxford. Christian is the current chair of the ESHRE Endometriosis Guideline Development Group and was involved in the development of the NICE Guideline for Endometriosis in the UK. He has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in the field of endometriosis and has a special interest in biomarker studies.

Dr Becker became a WES Ambassador in 2018.

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