James H. Segars, MD and Ayman Al-Hendy, MD, PhD

Richard S. Legro, MD

Dr. Segars is the Howard and Georgeanna Seegar Jones Professor and Director of the Division of Reproductive Sciences and Women's Health Research in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins. His primary clinical research interests are assisted reproduction and uterine fibroids. Dr. Segars completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at Vanderbilt University followed by a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at NIH as an RSDP scholar. Dr. Segars joined the intramural NICHD program where his laboratory pursued translational, clinical, and basic research relevant to reproduction for 22 years. At NIH he served as head of Unit on Reproductive Endocrinology within the Program of Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He was also Program Director for the NICHD-sponsored Clinical Reproductive Endocrinology Training Program and Medical Director for the Walter Reed ART Program for 18 years before being recruited to Johns Hopkins to head the Howard and Georgeanna Seegar Jones Laboratory. Dr. Segars's laboratory actively pursues basic, translation and clinical investigation of ovarian, and oocyte function and studies of uterine fibroids.

Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy is currently a Professor (Tenure) and Director in the Division of Translational Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University (formerly Georgia Regents University) in Augusta, Georgia. He also serves as Director of Interdisciplinary Translational Research, Augusta University and Assistant Dean for Global Translational Research, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University. Dr. Al-Hendy is a Gynecologist and Endoscopic Surgeon at Augusta University Medical Center, Augusta, Georgia with a busy practice that focuses on serving women with symptomatic uterine fibroids. Dr. Al-Hendy graduated from Banha Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Banha, Egypt in 1986. After one year of internship at Banha University Hospital he headed to Finland to earn his PhD in Molecular Medicine from University of Turku, Turku, Finland. He then gained additional postdoctoral training in gene therapy and clinical molecular genetics at McMaster University and McGill University in Canada before completing clinical residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Saskatchewan and fellowship training in laparoscopic surgery at Toronto University both in Canada. Dr. Al-Hendy is double board certified by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In United States of America, Dr. Al-Hendy held various faculty positions at University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, and Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee before moving to Augusta, Georgia. Dr. Al-Hendy utilizes the methods of basic, translational and clinical research to address important medical diseases. Dr. Al-Hendy medical research interests focus on developing novel therapies including gene and stem cell therapy for premature ovarian failure, endometriosis, and particularly uterine fibroids. He is currently researching the utility of various nutritional supplements as possible nonsurgical therapy for uterine fibroids which impact negatively women health worldwide and burden resources through the high rate of hysterectomy especially in women of color. Recently, Dr. Al-Hendy isolated and characterized surface marker specific stem cells from human and rat fibroid lesions as well as adjacent at risk myometrium and normal myometrium and is utilizing these valuable tools to understand the role of developmental epigenetic reprogramming and early life adverse environmental exposures in adult onset of uterine fibroids especially in women of color. In 2010, Dr. Al-Hendy was awarded the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's (ASRM) 2010 Ira and Ester Rosenwaks Award for his significant contribution to the field of translational Reproductive Biology. In 2014, he received the α Omega α clinician scientist of the year award by the Medical Honor Society and in 2015 the President Achievement Award as well as Rogerio A. Lobo Award by the Society of reproductive Investigations (SRI). Dr. Al-Hendy research is funded by various agencies including NICHD, NIEHS, NIMHD, ODS, NCRR, USDA, and other national and international organizations. He has served as Chair of the NIH Integrative Clinical Endocrinology and Reproduction (ICER) IRG 2013–2015 and also serves on numerous other committees with organizations such NIH, ASRM, SRI and as Editor of The SRI 1st Alert as well as on several editorial boards of high impact reproductive biology journals. Dr. Al-Hendy has published more than 158 peer reviewed publications in high tier peer reviewed scientific journals, above 230 presentations in national and international meetings, and has edited 5 medical books.