Ottawa, April 29th, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa to host Canadian Workshop on Human Reproduction and Reproductive Biology, May 3rd and 4th

Only weeks after bill C-6 (An Act Respecting Assisted Human Reproduction) became law, a group of leading Canadian researchers and physicians in human reproduction will gather next Monday and Tuesday, in part to discuss its implications. The bill includes a new set of guidelines for reproduction and reproductive biology.

The rest of the conference will focus on the latest findings and biggest successes in the field. Speakers such as Dean Van Vugt, Professor at Queen's University and President of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society as well as Dr. Michael Kramer, Professor at McGill University and Scientific Director of the Institute of Human Development and Child, Youth Health, CIHR will offer their own perspectives.

Other speakers include Dr. Jerome Strauss III from the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Kunio Shiota, from the University of Tokyo. The keynote speaker will be Aaron Hsueh, from Stanford University, who will discuss An Evolutionary Genomic Approach to Reproductive Research.

"Our current successes in reproductive medicine began 25 years ago with excellence in research," said Dr. Arthur Leader, Professor at the University of Ottawa and Chief of Reproductive Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital. "This special workshop brings together key world-class scientists and clinicians to share ideas on solving problems in reproductive biology and clinical medicine."

"The recent passage of Bill C-6 highlighted the need to apply the best science to excellent reproductive health care. This workshop will allow The Ottawa Hospital and the OHRI to stay at the forefront of translational research, allowing important discoveries on the bench to reach the bedside."

Infertility affects more than 500,000 men and women (or one in six couples) in Canada alone. And as women choose to begin their families later in life, fertility decreases with the most significant drop at age 25. Like Bill C-6, this workshop will therefore address therapies that can and will influence the health and safety of women and their children.

"This workshop brings together the best in Canadian science to address important reproductive health care issues such as infertility, ovarian cancer and pregnancy complications. It will also address the impact of environmental toxicants on reproductive health," said Dr. Ben Tsang, Senior Scientist of the OHRI and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Tsang is also Chair of the Workshop Organizing Committee.

The OHRI is a partner of The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa's Medical Faculty.

This conference is being funded in part by the Institute of Human Development and Child, Youth Health, CIHR.

The conference will be held at the Hellenic Banquet Centre
1315 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa on Monday, May 3 from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and on Tuesday May 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

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