Early Career Ambassador

BURNS Gregory

Michigan State University
Grand Rapids, MI, USA

Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology

Gregory Burns, Ph.D. is a reproductive biologist at Michigan State University with expertise in transcriptomics, endometriosis, and uterine biology. Since earning his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri, his research has focused on the molecular mechanisms that drive endometriosis, with particular emphasis on epithelium–macrophage interactions in lesion development. His work leverages spatial and single-cell transcriptomic approaches to uncover pathways involved in epithelial–immune crosstalk and lesion progression, with the broader goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets and improving outcomes for those affected by endometriosis.

He was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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Early Career Ambassador

RIVERS BULKELEY Virginia

University Hospital Southampton
United Kingdom

Advanced Practice Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellow

Virginia is an Advanced Practice Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellow, with a specialist clinical and research focus on the management of persistent pelvic pain. She graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2008, holds an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice (Pelvic Health), awarded with distinction, and is currently developing her doctoral research to examine healthcare inequalities in access to NHS services for persistent pelvic pain.

Virginia contributes nationally to Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP) as the outgoing Chair of the Mesh Centres Committee and as an active member of its Education and Training Subcommittee and Research Network. In recognition of her impact, she was awarded the POGP’s Anne Bird Award for Excellence in 2024. Virginia has presented nationally and internationally on physiotherapy’s role in the contemporary management of persistent pelvic pain.

Virginia was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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Early Career Ambassador

FREGER Shay

McMaster University
Hamilton, Canada

Shay Freger is a PhD candidate at McMaster University whose research focuses on endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, and women’s health. His work integrates clinical, epidemiological, and basic science approaches to advance patient phenotyping and deepen understanding of disease mechanisms. Alongside this, he places a strong emphasis on the structural and social determinants of health, examining how inequities in health systems shape outcomes, access to care, and patient experiences across diverse populations.

In his early career, Shay has spearheaded more than 30 studies on endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, building a portfolio that bridges rigorous science with health systems reform. His work is characterized by its interdisciplinarity, spanning biological, imaging, and clinical data while engaging directly with policy and equity considerations. He has been actively involved nationally and internationally in advancing women’s health research and advocacy, contributing to a growing movement for systemic change. Shay holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Medical Sciences from McMaster University.

He was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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Early Career Ambassador

JIN Zhixing

The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University
Suzhou, China

Dr. Jin Zhixing is a clinician-scientist specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Medicine at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. She then pursued her Master’s and PhD in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Fudan University, China.

With funding from the China Scholarship Council, she conducted a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in 2023 at the Endometriosis CaRe Centre at the University of Oxford, UK. During this time, she acquired advanced training in establishing human endometrial organoid models and applied this platform to investigate mechanisms and potential treatments for endometriosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, infertility, and other reproductive disorders.

Currently, she serves as an Attending Physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.

Dr. Jin’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of endometriosis and adenomyosis, with particular interest in estrogen-mediated signaling, post-translational modifications such as S-palmitoylation and ubiquitination, and identifying potential therapeutic targets. She has published multiple first-author articles in respected international journals including Reproductive Sciences, Biology of Reproduction, and Drug Design Development and Therapy.

She has been principal investigator of grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Suzhou Municipal Health Commission. She has also received honors such as the “Gusu Health Talent” Award and the Jiangsu Province “ShuangChuang Doctor” Award.

Dr. Jin has presented her work at major international conferences including the World Congress on Endometriosis and the Asian Conference on Endometriosis. She is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of gynecological diseases through integrative clinical and translational research.

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Early Career Ambassador

O’HARA Beck

Flinders University
Adelaide, Australia

Dr Beck O’Hara, PhD is a NECST Research Fellow at the Digital Health Research Lab, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University. Her research focuses on improving endometriosis diagnosis and management through co-designed digital health technologies.

Dr Beck O’Hara is an experienced mixed-methods researcher, having worked in chronic disease, health policy, psychosocial and health promotion research for more than 15 years across government, non-profit organisations, and universities. Her PhD focused on people’s experiences of managing endometriosis and the role of self-management. Dr O’Hara was the Project Coordinator (2019-2024) of the Australian Government-funded platform EndoZone, an evidence-based, co-created digital health informatics platform designed to empower and support people with endometriosis. She is the Australasian Coordinator of the International Social SciencEs Endometriosis Network (SEEN) and a member of the Australasian Interdisciplinary Researchers in Endometriosis (AIRE) network.

She was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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Early Career Ambassador

HARDEN Sarah

Endogene.bio
France

Sarah L Harden, PhD, is a molecular and cell biologist with expertise in women’s health, oncology, and metabolomics. Currently working at endogene.bio, she is challenging the convention that menstrual blood is a waste product and instead demonstrates its diagnostic value and potential to guide personalised treatment strategies. She earned her PhD from the University of Warwick through a funded programme in collaboration with the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and the Agency For Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, where her research focused on endometrial stromal cell decidualization and the regulatory role of the exometabolome on gene expression. This work contributed to a publication on autoantibody profiling in endometriosis and expanded into multi-omics analysis of immune cells in humanised cancer models. Recognised as a Young Ambassador for ESHRE 2024, Sarah is an active member of ESHRE and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, and she regularly engages with the international reproductive science community. She hopes to bring a new perspective to the society bringing insights from start-ups and industry.

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Early Career Ambassador

GRIFFITHS Meaghan

University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom

Research Fellow, EXPPECT Edinburgh, Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh

Dr Meaghan Griffiths is a biomedical scientist who completed her BSc (Honours) and PhD training at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Meaghan relocated to Edinburgh in 2023 to work within the EXPPECT Edinburgh team led by Professor Andrew Horne and Professor Philippa Saunders.

Meaghan has worked in the endometriosis field since finishing her PhD and her research aims to understand the underlying biological mechanisms of endometriosis-associated infertility. Meaghan is passionate about enhancing our knowledge base of how different subtypes of endometriosis, particularly superficial peritoneal endometriosis impact fertility. Armed with new knowledge arising from discovery science, we can better inform people living with endometriosis about the impact different subtypes of endometriosis have on future fertility, and work toward novel therapeutics for endometriosis-associated infertility.

Meaghan was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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Early Career Ambassador

HUGHES Jodie

Endometriosis South Coast
Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Jodie Hughes, PhD, is a researcher whose work focuses on endometriosis, adenomyosis, and reproductive health. Her research explores how patient experiences, systemic inequalities, and healthcare practices shape access to diagnosis, treatment, and support. She is particularly interested in how language, stigma, and cultural narratives influence both medical care and lived experience.

Her doctoral research investigated the Health-Related Quality of Life in people with endometriosis. She continues to develop research that bridges clinical practice, patient perspectives, and health policy, with a focus on improving equity and inclusivity in women’s and reproductive health.

She received her PhD from the University of Roehampton in 2025. She was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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Early Career Ambassador

MARDON Amelia

Western Sydney University
Sydney, Australia

Dr Amelia Mardon is an early-career academic specialising in endometriosis and pelvic pain research. Her personal experience of endometriosis has strongly shaped her work, particularly her PhD studies, where she developed a consumer-informed pelvic pain science education curriculum. Her research interests extend to conservative and self-management strategies to improve outcomes for people living with pelvic pain.

Amelia has published 24 peer-reviewed articles on endometriosis and chronic pain, with her work contributing to policy and the development of clinical guidelines in this field. she is regularly invited to speak at national and international conferences, including the ANZCA Annual Scientific Meeting and the New Zealand Pain Society Conference. She is committed to ensuring the endometriosis community has access to evidence-based, contemporary education about their condition.

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Early Career Ambassador

MURAOKA Ayako

Nagoya University Hospital of OBGY
Nagoya, Japan

Lecturer of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya Japan

Ayako Muraoka, MD PhD, is a gynecologist and researchers forcing on pathophysiology of endometriosis. Her current research relates to the role of Fusobacterium infection in the etiology of endometriosis. Based on previous research, she is promoting research on biomarkers and microbiome related to endometriosis.

She also focused on benign gynecological diseases and has a strong interest in endometriosis. She is also a board member of the Japan Society of Endometriosis.

She was selected as a World Endometriosis Society Early Career Ambassador in 2025.

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