James H. Segars, MD and Kjersti M. Aagaard, MD, PhD

Bruce R. Carr, MD

In this issue of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, I have recruited one of our hard working editorial board members, Dr. James Segars, and his colleague Dr. Kjersti Aagaard to guest edit an issue on The Microbiome and Reproduction. This is related to a new field of study which explains the relationship of the DNA of microorganisms that coexist and influence our bodies and in particularly the reproductive organs.

Dr. Segars is head of the Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology within the Program of Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology in National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at National Institutes of Health (NIH) and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Segars completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a clinical fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at Vanderbilt University, followed by a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology in NIH as an RSDP scholar. Dr. Segars joined the intramural NICHD program where his laboratory pursues translational, clinical, and basic research relevant to reproduction with an emphasis on uterine fibroids and infertility. He has served as fellowship program director for the NICHD-sponsored Clinical Reproductive Endocrinology Training Program for 18 years and is keenly interested in graduate medical education and the training of the next generation of clinician-scientists. He is an author of more than 140 publications. Dr. Segars serves as editorial boards including Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, Reproductive Sciences, and Fertility and Sterility. His interest in molecular biology, genetics, and infertility kindled an interest in the microbiome and its possible relationship with disorders of infertility. Dr. Segars is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology.

Dr. Aagaard is currently an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine and holds numerous appointments in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Translational Biology and Biophysics, John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communication Sciences, HGSC Bioinformatics, and Research Laboratory, all at Baylor College of Medicine. She received her PhD in immunology at Mayo and her MD degree at the University of Minnesota. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the same institution. She then completed a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and a Masters in Clinical Investigation at the University of Utah.

She holds numbers of honors in research and has or is holding numerous positions at the NIH, received a large number of NIH grants, and has an extensive and impressive publication record.

Her primary interests presently include: (1) the effect of in utero exposure on the fetal epigenome, (2) birth and stillbirth, and (3) most importantly, related to this issue, the role of the microbiome in perinatal health.