James H. Segars, Jr., M.D., and Kjersti M. Aagaard-Tillery, M.D., Ph.D.

In this issue of Seminars and Reproductive Medicine, the topic is the role of epigenetics in reproduction. The field of epigenetics (the heritable changes in gene function without corresponding alterations in DNA sequence) has significantly changed the view of the mechanisms of inheritance.

The guest editors for this issue, Drs. James H. Segars, Jr., and Kjersti M. Aagaard-Tillery, have recruited an outstanding group of authors and investigators to bring the readers of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine up to date on this important topic.

Dr. Segars is head of the Unit on Reproductive Endocrinology within the Reproductive Biology and Medicine Branch of the National Institute of Child Heath and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. His primary clinical research interests are assisted reproduction and uterine fibroids. After graduating from Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Segars completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology followed by a clinical fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at Vanderbilt University. He then completed a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology in the laboratory of Dr. Keiko Ozato at NIH as a scholar in the Reproductive Scientist Training Program. Dr. Segars joined the intramural NICHD program where his laboratory pursues translational, clinical, and basic research relevant to reproduction. His interest in assisted reproduction resulted in cofounding the Walter Reed Army Program for Assisted Reproduction. Dr. Segars is the fellowship program director for the NICHD-sponsored Clinical Reproductive Endocrinology Training Program. He holds board certifications in obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology. Dr. Segars has both a national and international reputation as a physician scientist.

Dr. Kjersti M. Aagaard-Tillery received a Ph.D. in immunology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine followed by an M.D. at the University of Minnesota. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the same institution, followed by a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine and a master's degree in clinical investigation at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Aagaard-Tillery is currently an assistant professor in maternal fetal medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Baylor College of Medicine. She has focused her research on epigenetics and perinatal disease. She has gained national reputation in the field and has obtained competitive research grants and has extensive publications in high-quality journals. Dr. Aagaard-Tillery is currently editor of the Journal of Reproductive Immunology.