The Oncofertility Saturday Academy, a national program to educate high school students originated at the Women’s Health Science Program, which just received a Presidential Award for excellence in mentoring. Here are the details!

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Latina and African American high-school girls are prepared for science, health careers

By Marla Paul

CHICAGO — A program for mentoring urban minority high-school girls for college and careers in science and health was awarded the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring by President Barack Obama. The mentors will receive the awards at a White House ceremony later this year.

The Women’s Health Science Program for High School Girls and Beyond, a five-year-old program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, targets primarily African American and Latina girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in Chicago. The young women can study at four different Northwestern academies: cardiology, physical science, infectious disease and oncofertility. The girls’ science program is part of the Institute for Women’s Health Research at the Feinberg School.

“We’re delighted that President Obama recognized the impact of mentoring the next generation of female scientists and leaders and are humbled by the recognition of this award,” said Teresa Woodruff, director of the Institute for Women’s Health Research and the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Feinberg. “By helping women and girls we can help change the world.”

The White House award recognizes the crucial role mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science and engineering—particularly those who belong to groups that are underrepresented in these fields. By offering their expertise and encouragement, mentors help prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers, while ensuring that tomorrow’s innovators reflect and benefit from the diverse talent of the United States.

“Through their commitment to education and innovation, these individuals and organizations are playing a crucial role in the development of our 21st century workforce,” President Obama said. “Our Nation owes them a debt of gratitude for helping ensure that America remains the global leader in science and engineering for years to come.”

Of the 90 students who have participated in the Women’s Health Science Program from the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School in Chicago, 18 are seniors in high school, 70 are attending college, and two have received undergraduate degrees.  Of those attending college, 51 percent are pursuing science majors.

Woodruff plans to expand the science program to other high schools in the Chicago area. The program also has grown beyond Chicago through Woodruff’s efforts.  Similar informal education programs based on the Chicago model are now running in San Diego, Portland and Philadelphia.

Woodruff, a reproductive endocrinologist, researches female reproductive health and infertility and is chief of the division of fertility preservation at the Feinberg School. She also leads the Oncofertility Consortium, a national a team of oncologists, fertility specialists, social scientists, educators and policy makers to translate her research to the clinical care of women who will lose their fertility due to cancer treatment.  In addition, she has been an advocate for sex and gender inclusivity and study in basic science, translational studies and clinical trials.

Read more about the national group of Oncofertility Academy Programs!
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MEDIA CONTACT: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or marla-paul@northwestern.edu

NORTHWESTERN NEWS: www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/

Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and cancer survivor, John Kaplan documents his journey through diagnosis, treatment and remission in the new documentary, NOT As I Pictured. At 48 years old, John was at the top of his game; successful career, wife and 2 kids (a boy and a girl), and rarely sick. When his belly button took on an odd shape, he went to the doctor for a hernia check.  During a routine CAT scan, doctors found a large tumor hanging off the side of his kidney.  It was cancer. Don’t be alarmed!  All we have to do is surgically remove the tumor and you’re on your way to good health again. Unfortunately this is not how his story unfolded…

During surgery, John’s doctors discovered that his tumor was actually a result of a much larger issue. This would not be as simple as removing the tumor and recouping at home with some soup and tender loving care. He had blood cancer – non-Hodgkin’s, aggressive and insolent – difficult to treat, prognosis not good.  He would need aggressive chemotherapy. He had a long road ahead of him.

So begins John’s journey through hair loss, ports, day-long sessions of chemotherapy, fatigue and ultimately, remission. We see him interact with his family and watch how he navigates this profound, life-changing event with his children – too young to understand the magnitude of cancer, but nonetheless apart of his treatment. Throw in Mother Theresa, a firefighter, and a rock star from Pantera and you’ve got a strange mix of bed fellows helping John along the way.

Watching this documentary, we get an insider’s glance into what it’s like to face a seemingly insurmountable cancer diagnosis and how John does it with bravery, hope and determination. John’s story is meant to inspire others struggling with cancer, to focus on the moments in life that are good, and sacred and hopeful. You can catch his documentary, NOT As I Pictured, beginning in late August on your local PBS station. John is also giving away 10,000 free copies of his documentary,  NOT As I Pictured, to anyone touched by cancer. Go to www.NotAsIPictured.org for more information.

Cristina Thomas (top) with her mentors in the Woodruff Lab, Candace Tingen, PhD, and Min Xu, PhD.

Cristina Thomas is like many young students at Northwestern University. She spends her time studying, participating in school activities, and having fun with her friends. In addition to all this, over the past four years she has worked in the laboratory of Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, on a variety of projects dealing with ovarian follicle development. A few weeks ago, all the hard work paid off when Cristina was awarded the Constance L. Campbell Award, one of just a few prestigious awards given to graduating biology students at Northwestern.

In her research, Cristina investigated some factors that may aid in the development of future fertility techniques for cancer patients, such as in vitro follicle growth. Specifically she examined how different oxygen concentrations and the presence of theca cells or macrophages (white blood cells) may increase the growth and survival of follicles. Some of this work was recently published in the journal Reproduction in a paper titled, “A macrophage and theca cell-enriched stromal cell population influences growth and survival of immature murine follicles in vitro,” by Tingen et al.

In addition to investigating new techniques, Cristina also worked with researchers to determine whether existing fertility preservation techniques are appropriate for specific cancer patients. She and a medical fellow examined the number of antral (more mature) follicles in ovaries from 140 patients with ovarian cancer and correlated those follicle numbers with the severity of the ovarian masses. These results may affect the fertility preservation treatments offered to ovarian cancer patients in the future and can guide development of additional oncofertility techniques.

A gender studies minor, Cristina also enthusiastically participated in the Oncofertility Saturday Academy, where she organized fellow undergraduate students to mentor younger girls in the Chicago program. These undergraduates provided advice on the college application process and gave the high school students a tour of Northwestern’s campus.

Cristina will continue to employ her research and oncofertility expertise as she enters the next phase of her life, as a medical student at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She is only one example of how the Oncofertility Consortium is training the next generation of medical specialists in the principles of oncofertility.

Back in February, we blogged about one of our sister programs for the Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) called, the Pennsylvania Academy for Reproductive Sciences otherwise known as the PARS program. Similar to OSA, the PARS program was started to teach high school girls about the research, clinical care and bioethics of fertility and cancer.  The PARS program was so successful that one of their former students, Emtithal Mahmoud, won the Pennsylvania state-wide science fair for her oncofertility research.  We contacted Emtithal (Emi) to learn more about her experience with the PARS program and below is what she had to say:

Q: Why did you initially apply to participate in PARS?

A: I have been interested in biology and all things related since seventh grade. I just love learning about life and its many mechanisms. Also, since I want to become an MD/PhD, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to broaden my knowledge. After all, you can only learn so much in school.

Q: What did you learn from PARS? Do you think it’s a good opportunity for young women? Why?

A: I learned the fundamentals of the female reproductive system. Additionally, I was introduced to some pressing modern issues and learned how the material PARS covered could be applied to solve them. Lastly, I got a glimpse of the teamwork it takes to move the field forward. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for young women because the experience it provides is useful both academically and in every day life.

Q: Why did you decide to do a research project with us?

A: The experience I had with PARS was so wonderful that I found myself completely fascinated by the topic of reproduction. I decided to continue working with PARS in the hopes of prolonging the experience by using what I learned along with new information to go more in depth.

Q:  How did you decide on your research topic? How did you conduct the research? What did you find?

A: After learning about oncofertility at PARS and the negative effect of chemo on fertility, I really wanted to know more so I spoke with several PARS professors and some more research. I decided to research the effects of environmentally relevant doses of arsenic on the early stages of the reproductive system (follicular development, oocyte maturation, and early embryo development to the blastocyst stage). I conducted my research by doing an invitro study using a mouse model. I found that exposure at the levels I tested severely compromise follicular development and the nuclear competency of the oocyte. I also found that these doses arrest embryonic development to the blastocyst stage in a dose response fashion.

Q:  What happened with the science fair? What were your results?

A: I won second place in the local fair and first place in the regional fair.

Q: Did you feel adequately prepared to compete in the science fair based on your research efforts with our team?

A: Definitely!

Q:  What advice would you give to young women looking to become involved in science either in college or as a career?

A: Begin by seeking opportunities like these to broaden your knowledge and explore the different career options. If you are interested, learn more by asking professionals to clarify anything you don’t understand. Also, doing a research project is a fantastic way to enhance your learning experience.

It’s important to note that the success of the Oncofertility Academy is due in large part to the amazing teachers who work with these young women. One teacher in particular, Ericka Senegar-Mitchell, PhD runs an Oncofertility Academy called Be Wise in San Diego in affliation with UCSD. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Senegar-Mitchell was recently named as a finalist for the California Teacher of the Year. We’re so proud to have such a prolific group of people committed to the field of oncofertility!

Marina Peluffo and Teresa Woodruff stand in front of the abstract poster Peluffo won an award for at the 15th World Congress on IVF in Geneva, Switzerland in April 2009.

Marina Peluffo, an Oncofertility Consortium member from Portland, Oregon, won an award for her poster abstract “Cumulus Oocyte Complexes from Small Antral Follicles during the Early Follicular Phase of Spontaneous Cycles in Rhesus Monkeys Can Expand and Yield Oocytes Capable of Maturation In Vitro”.

Her poster was presented at the 15th World Congress on IVF in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this year. Teresa Woodruff also attended the Congress in April and was one of the 100 plenary speakers to address close to 750 participants from 67 different countries. For more information about the Congress go to the ISIVF Web site.

To view our previous entry on the World Congress, click here: Oncofertility at the 15th World Congress on IVF.

The Oregon Health and Science University Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program at the Knight Cancer Institute was awarded Fertile Hope’s National Center of Excellence Status award on April 9th, 2009.

Fertile Hope is a non-profit organization that strives to provide information on reproductive health for cancer patients and survivors who may be facing infertility due to their cancer treatments. According to OHSU’s press release, the award “recognizes the institute’s leadership in addressing fertility issues and options for young cancer patients.”

OHSU is one of just seven healthcare facilities in the United States to have been awarded the Center of Excellence Status. The Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program may not have succeeded as well as it has without the tremendous efforts put forth by Dr. David Lee.

An internationally reknowned researcher in the area of female fertility preservation, Dr. Lee initiated participation between the program and the physicians that treat infertility at OHSU by encouraging oncologists and infertility experts to communicate so that options for fertility preservation are now included in the counseling for young cancer patients.

Dr. David Lee works in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the OHSU Infertility Clinic. He was present at the event with Dr. Hayes-Lattin, director of the OHSU Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program and co-chairman of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance, to accept the award from Fertile Hope.

Read the OHSU press release here and to read the blog entry on the award by Fertile Hope founder Lindsay Nohr Beck, click here.

Dr. Jeffrey Chang wins the San Diego Science Alliance Partnership Award at a ceremony on May 21st, 2009. He is accompanied by SDSA Executive Director Nancy Taylor and SDSA Preseident Rick Beach. Photo courtesy of SDSA.

Dr. Jeffrey Chang, the principal investigator of the National Physicians Cooperative, is the winner of the Partnership Award from the San Diego Science Alliance. The award ceremony took place on May 21st in San Diego and honors Dr. Chang’s efforts to improve K-12 science education.

Dr. Chang is the Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of California, San Diego. He was one of the leading physician scientists to identify Oncofertility as a critical issue for young women and he runs the San Diego equivalent of the Oncofertility Saturday Academy – the BE WiSE program.

Twelve young women from 10 different high schools and attending 10th to 12th grade in San Diego County are participating in the BE WiSE program. Their first session will be on reproductive biology and will take place on July 11th.