Faculty Summary

Dr. Brad Van Voorhis completed Fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology at Harvard in 1990. He is board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. In 1997, he was named Division Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and he will be the Program Director for the Fellowship Program. Dr. Van Voorhis has both basic and clinical research interests. He has studied ovarian function from both a basic science and a clinical aspect. He published some of the first observations of cigarette smoking inhibited ovarian function as it related to ovulation induction and was associated with lower pregnancy rates during in vitro fertilization. He has also published the initial works describing the presence of nitric oxide synthesis in the ovary and the role of nitric oxide in inhibiting ovarian steroidogenesis. He is currently collaborating with Dr. Deborah Segaloff in the Department of Physiology looking at FSH receptor mutations and how these mutations may affect outcomes from ovulation induction.

In addition to basic science research, Dr. Van Voorhis has performed and published a number of outcomes-based studies on predictors of pregnancy following various infertility treatments. We have an extensive data base that has been continuously maintained since 1990, from which outcomes from all types of infertility treatment can be evaluated. Dr. Van Voorhis has published extensively in the area of cost-effectiveness and outcomes of infertility treatment.

His most recent clinical investigation has focused on benign uterine conditions including fibroids and polyps in both gynecologic and infertility patients. Through our advanced gynecologic ultrasound unit, we are following a number of patients prospectively to better understand risk factors for the development of these conditions as well as the natural history of benign uterine conditions. We have found that endometrial polyps, in particular, are common in asymptomatic peri-menopausal woman and that they frequently regress spontaneously. The role of polyps in infertility is being investigated.

Dr. Van Voorhis' clinical interests are the management of infertility and surgical management of reproductive tract disorders. Dr. Van Voorhis will oversee the fellow in this role in addition to this role as Director of the Division.

Dr. Craig Syrop completed his Fellowship training at the University of North Carolina in 1986 and is board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. After completing his Fellowship, he established the in vitro fertilization program at the University of Iowa. This program has a long track record of high pregnancy rates while pioneering innovations in this field. Dr. Syrop is a recognized expert in the field of in vitro fertilization as evidenced by directing a successful program, by participating as a consultant to programs around the country through the Center for Disease Control, as well as through research presentations.

In addition to Dr. Syrop's expertise in in vitro fertilization, he is also a gifted gynecologic sonographer. He has multiple publications in the field of gynecologic ultrasound and in fact published the first series regarding the first use of saline infusion sonography (SIS) in the United States demonstrating the improved sensitivity of SIS for the detection of polyps as compared to standard ultrasonography. He is interested in advanced ultrasound as it pertains to prediction of IVF outcome. He has published the first papers describing how reduced ovarian volume predicts poor outcome with IVF. He is continuing this research interest through comparative studies looking at the relative roles of ultrasound and day FSH values in prediction of IVF outcomes. His particular strength in our Fellowship Program is training fellows in IVF.

Dr. William Davis completed a Fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at the University of Iowa in 1982. He has practiced reproductive endocrinology and infertility for many years in private practice. In 1999, he joined our division and his major strength is clinical care of reproductive endocrinology patients as well as surgical treatment of gynecologic disorders. Dr. Davis is a particularly gifted endoscopic and microsurgeon. As such, he will aid greatly in the instruction of fellows in proper surgical technique. Dr. Davis is also interested in ovulation induction techniques and is currently performing a number of studies on newer ovulation inducing agents and their effects both on fertility and endometrial stripe thickness.

Dr. Ginny L. Ryan graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri in 1999. She then completed her residency and fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Her clinical and research interests include infertility treatment outcomes, exercise related reproductive disorders and surgical treamtent of endometriosis.

Amy Sparks, PhD is the Director of our IVF/Embryology Lab as well as the Director of the Andrology Lab at the University of Iowa. She received her PhD in Animal Science from Virginia Tech. She is a High Complexity Laboratory Director and CAP Inspector. She is a respected embryologist/andrologist and has published in both of these arenas. She will be primarily responsible for training fellows in the proper laboratory techniques as they relate to in vitro fertilization. 

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