Applications are open for the WES Early Career Investigator Awards 2027.
Six grants of $20,000 CAD are available to early-career researchers working in endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Applications close: 30 September 2026.
Full details and to apply, please click here.
It is with deep sadness that the World Endometriosis Society shares the passing of Professor Asgerally “Asgi” Fazleabas. Asgi had been a WES Ambassador since 2011 and a valued member of our Mentor Program, where he served as a bridge between generations of endometriosis researchers – generously offering his time, wisdom, and encouragement to emerging scientists around the world. His warmth and collaborative spirit exemplified the very best of our Society’s mission, and his presence at WES events inspired all who had the privilege of knowing him. The loss of his guidance and friendship leaves a profound void in our international community.
Asgi was a transformative figure in endometriosis science. As University Distinguished Professor and Foundation Professor at Michigan State University – the highest honors that institution bestows – he pioneered the baboon model of endometriosis, enabling the study of disease etiology and progression from its very onset. His laboratory explored the progressive epigenetic and gene expression changes in the eutopic endometrium driven by the presence of endometriosis and enhanced understanding of the development of progesterone resistance and the roles of angiogenesis, microRNAs, and neurogenesis. This work, funded continuously by the National Institutes of Health since 1986, carried profound translational relevance for understanding endometriosis-associated infertility. His contributions were recognized with the NIH Beacon Award, election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction’s Research Award, Distinguished Service Award, and Carl G. Hartman Award. He served as SSR President (2008–2009) and as Lead Director and Chair of the Board of Scientific Advisors of the prestigious Frontiers in Reproduction Course at Woods Hole for over two decades.
The World Endometriosis Society extends our heartfelt condolences to Asgi’s family, friends, trainees, and colleagues around the world. We honor his extraordinary legacy by continuing the work he championed – advancing endometriosis research, fostering global collaboration, and nurturing the next generation of scientists as he did throughout his career. He will be remembered not only for his scientific leadership but for the countless lives and careers he shaped with his kindness and dedication to improving women’s health. He will be deeply missed.
Stepwise Endometriosis Imaging: know normal, recognize disease, diagnose correctly
Date: 29 June 2026
Time: 12pm EDT / 6pm CEST
Moderator: Anneke Schreurs
Speakers: Sabrine Kol, Razvan Petru Derihaci
Click here to register for the WESinar.
We are pleased to announce that WES in collaboration with the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) have worked on a new Good Practice Recommendations for Adenomyosis paper, which is now ready for stakeholder review.
Adenomyosis is a benign but debilitating gynaecological disorder, with an estimated prevalence that varies significantly among populations. This Good Practice Recommendations paper critically assesses current methodologies for diagnosing adenomyosis, spotlighting the heterogeneity in the literature concerning its terminology, classification, and diagnostic approaches.
The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations which can aid in the reduction of this observed heterogeneity, aiming to improving diagnosis and disease management in the future.
The Good Practice Recommendations paper is open for review until 23 June 2026, and we are sharing this with our WES Community for your consideration and comments.
We ask that you read the draft recommendations available here, download the reviewer form, complete your comments on the form and return it guidelines@eshre.eu before 23 June 2026.
We thank you in advance for your contribution.
WES is pleased to announce following the great success of WCE2025 in Sydney, the 17th World Congress on Endometriosis will be held 2-5 June 2027 in Istanbul, Turkey.
For more information visit the WCE2027 website by clicking the image below. Be sure to register your interest to receive more information.
At the World Congress of Endometriosis in Sydney in May this year, the announcement of the $50 million Ainsworth Endometriosis Research Institute (AERI) was made and is now a reality. AERI is a basic research Institute, centred at UNSW Sydney, with partner organisations at other Australian Universities. The Institute will undertake scientific research that leads to translational changes for all people with endometriosis. This will include programs such as pre-clinical models for endometriosis, drug repurposing and a ‘blue-sky’ program to progress the challenges that endometriosis presents.
AERI’s ‘5 C’ philosophy of Collaboration, Clinical Care, Community, Coordination and Capacity building drive AERI to ensure a program of research that is progressive, directed and adaptive. The 10-year philanthropic gift that underpins AERI provides the surety for researchers willing to take on challenges for now, and challenges for the future.
We are undertaking a global search for AERI, who will play a key leadership role by leading an internationally recognised, innovative and impactful program of translational research focused on endometriosis. The AERI mission of ‘cause and cure’ has been determined by people with endometriosis as the most meaningful outcomes that will change their lives. Changing our fundamental understanding of endometriosis and how it impacts individuals, their families and society can and will be achieved.
This is a fulltime (35 hours a week) role based at UNSW, Sydney Australia for a level D-E academic (Associate Professor/Professor) who has the technical skills, passion and vision to lead AERI. The chair appointment will be 5 years initially, plus a continuing substantive Professorial appointment and has an attractive salary package.
Further information:
Please see LinkedIn or Jobs UNSW for detailed description and job application.
Enquiries:
Prof Jason Abbott, Interim Director AERI for more information
Merita O’Connell, Talent Acquisition Consultant, UNSW, Sydney
E: merita.oconnell@unsw.edu.au
L Guare1, J Das1, A Rajagopalan1, L Caruth1, S Namba2, Y Okada2, Y Shirai3, Y Yamamoto3, A Akerele4, J Jaworski4, D Velez-Edwards4, A Hill5, J Shortt5, N Elhadad6, G Jarvik7, L Kottyan8, Y Luo9, W Wei10, C Weng6, S Chapman11, Y Shi11, W Zhou11, A Mulford12, A Sanders12, B Brumpton13, E Moreno13, T Chen15, V Rovite14, Y Lin15,S Setia- Verma1
1University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
2The University of Tokyo, Japan
3Osaka University, Suita, Japan
4Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, United States
5Colorado Center for Precision Medicine, Aurora, United States
6Columbia University, New York City, United States
7University of Washington, Seattle, United States
8Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States
9Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
10Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
11The Broad Institute, Cambridge, United States
12Endeavor Health, Evanston, United States
13Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
14Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Latvia
15National Health Research Institutes, Maoli County, Taiwan
Endometriosis is a complex heritable disorder requiring comprehensive genomic investigation
across diverse populations. Previous studies have been somewhat limited by European-centric data. The Global Biobank Meta-Analysis Initiative (GBMI) enables large-scale genomic analysis across multiple genetic ancestry groups, complemented by computational multi-omic and single cell analyses to understand disease mechanisms.
We performed a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) meta-analysis across 14 biobanks worldwide, with 31% non-European samples. Multiple endometriosis phenotype definitions were analyzed, including broad and surgically-confirmed cases. Post-GWAS analyses included ancestry-stratified heritability estimation and fine-mapping. We conducted Transcriptome- wide and Proteome-wide association analyses, followed by single-cell analyses of implicated genes. Integration of multi-omic data through Mergeomics analysis enabled comprehensive pathway enrichment assessment.
The GWAS (N=928,413 : 44,125 cases) identified 45 significant loci using a broad phenotype definition, including seven previously-unreported signals and the first genome-wide significant locus (POLR2M) in African ancestry. Narrow phenotypes and surgically confirmed cases replicated known loci near CDC42 and SYNE1. Observed heritability was consistent (10-12%) across ancestral groups. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping revealed putative causal variants in 38 loci. Multi-omic imputed association analyses identified 11 significantly-associated gene transcripts (two previously unknown: DTD1 and CCDC88B), two intronic splicing events (within PGR and NSRP1), and one protein, RSPO3. In silico single-cell analyses prioritized 18 disease-relevant cell types including venous cells and macrophages. The results of these analyses specified key players in enriched molecular pathways involving immunopathogenesis, angiogenesis, Wnt signaling, and balance between proliferation, differentiation, and migration of endometrial cells as major hallmarks in genomics of endometriosis.
This diverse GWAS combined with transcriptomic, splice-omic, proteomic, and single-cell analyses revealed novel genetic associations and molecular mechanisms in endometriosis. The identification of ancestry-specific variants and pathway interactions provides multiple targets for developing precise therapeutic interventions across diverse populations.
Key words: Genome wide association analyses, multi-omic data integration, diverse populations
The 2025 Rodolphe Maheux Award for best Oral Presentation by an Early Career Clinician was awarded to Amelia Mardon at the closing ceremony of the 16th World Congress on Endometriosis for her presentation on Pain Science Education Concepts for Pelvic Pain: An e-Delphi of Expert Clinicians
A Mardon1,2, H Leake1, M Wilson2,3, E Karran2, R Parker4, R Malani5, L Moseley2, J Chalmers2
1NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, Australia
2IIMPACT in Health, UniSA, Adelaide, Australia
3Persistent Pain Research Group, UniSA, Adelaide, Australia
4Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
5MGM School of Physiotherapy, Aurangabad, A constituent unit of MGMIHS, Maharashtra, India
Pain science education (PSE) involves learning about the biology of pain. However, PSE is yet to be thoroughly investigated for persistent pelvic pain potentially due to the lack of targeted curricula. This study gained consensus on PSE learning concepts important for persistent pelvic pain according to expert clinicians.
A three-round e-Delphi survey was conducted to generate and gain consensus on important PSE learning concepts for female persistent pelvic pain among 20 international, multidisciplinary expert clinicians. Learning concepts generated by clinicians were rated by importance using a six-point Likert scale. Concepts were considered important if they had a median rating important >3.0. Consensus on importance rating was considered reached for items with an interquartile range <1.0.
The panel included expert clinicians from seven countries and six healthcare professions. Most clinicians (40%) had 20+ years of experience in pelvic pain. Overall, the expert clinicians generated 125 PSE learning concepts that were considered important for persistent pelvic pain; 92 (73.6%) learning concepts reached consensus on their importance rating. Of the 125 learning concepts, 102 were generated for persistent pelvic pain in general, and were categorised into 13 overarching PSE concepts (e.g., persistent pelvic pain involves changes to the brain and nervous system; many factors influence persistent pelvic pain). Sixteen concepts were generated for specific pelvic pain conditions (e.g., endometriosis) and seven concepts for specific life stages (e.g., adolescence).
This study provides the first list of key PSE concepts for persistent pelvic pain developed by expert clinicians. These concepts share similarities to those valued by consumers.1 Taken together, they provide a framework for developing and implementing PSE curricula for persistent pelvic pain in research and clinical settings.
Pain science education, pelvic pain, patient education
Stacey Missmer, Fitnat Topbas, and Paul Yong presented at the first meeting for the Pan African Society of Endometriosis
