New York, NY – On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association held the Night of Hope Gala in New York City. RESOLVE, an organization that supports and provides a voice for people diagnosed with infertility, established the Hope Awards to recognize professionals, companies, volunteers, and the media who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the infertility field or have made a positive impact in the lives of people struggling with infertility. As a Visionary Partner with RESOLVE, Shady Grove Fertility is committed to upholding the standards of the Hope Awards and supporting their mission to increase awareness about infertility.
In 2013, SGF’s Robert J. Stillman, M.D. was awarded with the Hope Award for Service. At this year’s event, Michael J. Tucker, Director of IVF and Embryology Laboratories at SGF, BSc Comb Hons, Ph.D., FIBiol, HCLD, was among those who were honored for their vital service to the infertility community. Dr. Tucker was recognized with the Hope Award for Advocacy to commemorate his many years of promoting infertility patient rights and access to care. Using his expertise as an embryologist, he has been able to inform and educate lawmakers in a number of states on legislation that has been integral to the infertility community.
“I have spent most of my life as an embryologist focused on the improvement of laboratory techniques, never imagining that I would be recognized for being an IVF patient advocate,” said Dr. Tucker. Working as a certified laboratory director in the field of clinical embryology for over 30 years, Dr. Tucker has received worldwide recognition for his pioneering work in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) technologies that have helped to revolutionize the treatment of infertility. In 1992, he helped to advance the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique and was responsible for the first “ICSI babies” born in the United States, revolutionizing the treatment of male factor infertility. In 1997, he led the team that was successful in achieving the first-ever pregnancies and births using cryopreserved donor and immature eggs.
“RESOLVE is delighted to recognize Dr. Tucker for his commitment to the infertility community,” said Barbara Collura, RESOLVE’s President/CEO. “The Night of Hope is a special opportunity to come together and thank all those who work tirelessly to improve the lives of the 7.3 million women and men in the United States facing infertility.”
The 2014 Night of Hope recognized other leaders in the infertility community as well, including Lee Rubin Collins, J.D., a member of the Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM); Rachel Gurevich, fertility expert for About.com; Susan Donaldson James, a retired ABC News reporter; Cindy Flynn, an applications report writer for Sutter Health; Angelica Nassar, a RESOLVE advocate; researchers at The Hastings Center and the Yale School of Medicine; and Our Misconception was recognized as the best blog to raise awareness about infertility and to shed light on what it’s like to live with infertility.
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association was established in 1974 and remains the only nationwide non-profit organization established to promote reproductive health and to ensure equal access to all family building options for men and women experiencing infertility or other reproductive disorders. Through events like the Night of Hope, RESOLVE raises money to continue advocacy efforts for the infertility community.
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