Center for Reproductive Science Health & Education

Monthly Seminar Series: Gabrielle Rinne - "Biopsychosocial Processes in the Preconception and Perinatal Period: Implications for Maternal-Child Health"
2025-05-23 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | BSRB 483
Gabrielle Rinne will be reviewing findings from her graduate research on the biological, psychological, and social factors before, during, and after pregnancy that influence maternal and child health-relevant outcomes.

Let’s Talk Science: The Science of Reproduction and the Future of Reproductive Care
2025-05-15 17:30 - 18:30

Distinguished Speaker Series: Elizabeth Dias
2025-04-07 17:00 - 18:00 | California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), 570 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Please join us for this timely event in which Elizabeth Dias, the New York Times national religion correspondent, will be discussing her bestselling book, “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America,” co-authored with Lisa Lerer. Opening remarks will be provided by Dr. Tracy Johnson, dean of UCLA Division of Life Sciences.

Monthly Seminar Series: Dr. Alexandra Smick - "Spatial-molecular atlas of precancer niche in the fallopian tube"
2025-04-04 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Dr. Smick’s research explores the role of the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer, aiming to identify molecular markers for early detection and targeted therapy, and to develop preclinical models for testing novel treatments.

Monthly Seminar Series: Shirley Zhang - "Heritable mutations in key prostate development gene and prostate health"
2025-03-07 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Shirley Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA studying ancestry-associated prostate cancer risk and the related change in prostate composition. Shirley’s project is to understand the impact of heritable mutations on prostate development and the subsequent problems on fertility.

Monthly Seminar Series – Dr. Vibha Singhal – “Reproductive and Next Generation Effects of Obesity Treatments”
2025-02-28 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Dr. Singhal’s passion involves improving outcomes of obesity management via personalized treatments. She directs the FIT for Health pediatric clinic, which provides pharmacological and surgical treatments for children and adolescents with obesity while optimizing the delivery of efficient and evidence-based care.

Monthly Seminar Series – Ariel Hart – “I wanted to be able to surrender: Black women's reflections on seeking out and receiving care in a Black-Led Birth Center”
2025-01-31 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Ariel Hart will be discussing findings from their ethnography of a local Black-led birth center as an alternative to dominant allopathic pregnancy, birth and postpartum care.

Monthly Seminar Series - Aditya Pimplaskar - "Leveraging polygenic scores to investigate the genetics of perinatal depression"
2024-12-06 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Aditya Pimplaskar will be discussing his work in analyzing a broader perinatal depression phenotype in various health system-linked biobanks, ultimately leveraging clinical and genetic data for risk prediction.

Monthly Seminar Series - Dr. Veena Sangkhae - "Iron Pathobiology in Pregnancy"
2024-11-01 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Dr. Veena Sangkhae will be discussing endocrine regulation of iron homeostasis in pregnancy and how perturbations in these regulatory mechanisms can result in adverse pregnancy solutions.

Making eggs and sperm in the lab: 21st century bioethics and the rise of new reproductive futures
2024-10-22 00:00 - 2024-10-23 23:59 | Brocher Foundation, Switzerland
Organized by CRSHE Directors Hannah Landecker and Amander Clark, CRSHE members Robbin Jeffries Hein and Isaias Roberson, and French collaborators Anne Le Goff and Noémie Merleau-Ponty, this workshop will explore the science and ethics of in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), that is, the production of eggs and sperm from stem cells in the laboratory. Bringing together leading life and social scientists from six countries, it will provide a unique interdisciplinary forum to address the challenges of anticipating IVG.

This workshop is the result of an NIH-funded CRSHE interdisciplinary project on IVG. It is made possible by a grant from the Swiss Brocher Foundation.

Perspectives on Periods: Joy, Stigma, and Disgust
2024-10-04 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Sisi Peng shares her current work with the Haselton Lab studying attitudes toward periods in social media, surveys, and an in-lab experiment.

Distinguished Speaker Series - Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
2024-10-03 12:00 - 13:00 | California NanoSystems Institute, 570 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Please join us for this timely event where the science of human embryos and embryo models will be explained by preeminent scientist and author Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz. Opening remarks will be provided by CRSHE’s co-director, Hannah Landecker.

Thursday, October 3, 202412:00 p.m. PTReception to follow

California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)UCLA Campus

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Registration is required.Seating is first come first served and is not guaranteed.

About the event:

The UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education (CRSHE), Broad Stem Cell Research Center (BSCRC) and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCDB) are delighted to host Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz as our upcoming distinguished speaker. Zernicka-Goetz is the Bren Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at Caltech and professor of mammalian development and stem cell biology at the University of Cambridge. Spanning the last 25 years, her lab has made seminal contributions to the study of human embryos and is a pioneer in the field of stem cell-based embryo models.

In her talk, Zernicka-Goetz will discuss how early mammalian development is characterized by a series of critical transitions that lay the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. To understand the scientific basis for this, the Zernicka-Goetz laboratory develops innovative scientific technologies using stem cells to model the early human embryo. These models provide a system to study fundamental aspects of human embryo development and offer significant potential to improve outcomes for assisted reproduction, elucidate the causes of early pregnancy failure and provide insights into the developmental origins of diseases.

Opening remarks will be provided by Hannah Landecker, professor in the UCLA Department of Sociology and the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics. Professor Landecker uses the tools of history and social science to study contemporary developments in the life sciences and their historical taproots in the 20th century.

Co-sponsored by:

Monthly Seminar Series - Dr. Elsie Jacobsen & Olivia Scott
2024-05-30 16:00 - 17:00 | BSRB 401
Dr. Elsie Jacobsen will be discussing how X-linked gene expression is regulated in the mouse and its critical role in placental development.
Olivia Scott will be sharing her current work with the Afshar Lab studying a very high-risk pregnancy condition, placenta accrea.

Monthly Seminar Series - Dr. Andrew Goldstein & Dr. Alec Szlachta-McGinn
2024-05-24 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Dr. Andrew Goldstein will investigate prostate luminal secretory metabolism and its regulation through puberty and aging.
Dr. Alec Szlachta-McGinn will be discussing the role of the urinary microbiome in bladder pain syndrome.

Career Development Sessions With Dr. Yalda Afshar, Physician-Scientist in Maternal Fetal Medicine
2024-05-14 15:00 - 16:00 | BSRB 483
Come hear about Dr. Afshar’s phenomenal career trajectory in maternal fetal medicine!
Dr. Afshar manages care for pregnancies complicated by cardiovascular disease and congenital heart disease. Her team focuses on clinically relevant research to improve care, access, and biological understanding toward improving the health of pregnant people and their babies.

Career Development Sessions with Dr. Eynav Accortt, Maternal Mental Health Expert
2024-04-09 15:00 - 16:00 | BSRB 483
Come hear about Dr. Accortt’s fascinating career trajectory in reproductive psychology!
Eynav Accortt, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health. Her research focuses on mood and anxiety disorders during the female life course and in response to chronic illness.

Monthly Seminar Series - Dr. Sissy Wamaitha & Dr. Sandra Orsulic
2024-03-22 11:00 - 12:00 | BSRB 483
Dr. Sissy Wamaitha will expand upon defining the cell and molecular origins of the primate ovarian reserve.

Dr. Sandra Orsulic will be discussing aging-related precancer changes in the fallopian tube.

The Politics of "Male" Reproductive Health - Rene Almeling
2024-03-01 12:00 - 13:30 | Haines 279

Distinguished Speaker Series - L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
2024-02-29 15:00 - 17:00 | California NanoSystems Institute, 570 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education (CRSHE) Distinguished Speaker Series featuring L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell

Join CRSHE Director Amander Clark Ph.D., L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Dr. Elaine Batchlor, M.D., M.P.H in a conversation about black maternal health and care in Los Angeles. Dr. Batchlor serves as the CEO of MLK Community Healthcare, and has devoted her career to reducing health disparities and expanding health care quality and access for the most vulnerable.

Thursday February 29th, 2024 at 3pm
Reception to Follow

Location: California NanoSystems Institute
UCLA Campus

Let's Talk Science: Conversations About the Future of Reproductive Health
2024-02-16 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom
UCLA Department of Life Sciences Presents: Let’s Talk Science: Conversations About the Future of Reproductive Health an illuminating conversation featuring Amander Clark Director, Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology Hannah Landecker Co-Director, Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education Professor, Sociology Professor, Institute for Society & Genetics Patrick Allard Associate Professor, Institute for Society & Genetics with Q&A moderated by Tracy Johnson Dean of Life Sciences, UCLA College Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology
