The Foundation’s chief goal is to create the Gold Standard in healthcare and sustain the commitment of healthcare professionals who provide compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent patient care.
Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) board certified reproductive endocrinologist, Gilbert Mottla, M.D., was honored with the 2017 Arnold P. Gold Foundation in Humanism in Medicine Award by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). This is an award that honors an ASRM member who, as a practicing physician, has best demonstrated the ideals of compassionate and respectful care for a patient’s physical and emotional well-being.
“Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Mottla has advocated for improving infertility policy by testifying in front of both state and national legislators. Most important has been his passionate support of our nation’s injured veterans. This effort paid off when Congressional support was given to provide IVF services through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Chief Executive Officer of Shady Grove Fertility, Mark Segal.
For years, Dr. Mottla has demonstrated a commitment to helping expand coverage to our nation’s wounded veterans. For 2 decades a ban on advanced reproductive technology in the form of in vitro fertilization (IVF) at the Veterans Administration (VA) meant that for approximately 1,800 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who have suffered injuries to their reproductive system, these soldiers were forced to pay for this expensive treatment out of pocket or forego the chance to have a family of their own. Among his many efforts, Dr. Mottla, in close collaboration with the ASRM and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), helped establish the IVF for Veterans Program. This temporary program of IVF care for veterans was supported by 103 fertility practices across the country and offered deep financial discounts on services as a way to immediately provide IVF care until Congress ultimately acted and removed the 20-year ban. Wounded veterans now have access to the IVF care they need in order to start or grow their families.
“I had the distinct privilege of being the medical voice in this successful effort. There were so many other people and organizations who worked equally hard or harder together to change policy, including my fellow SGF colleagues, the ASRM, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, the Wounded Warrior Project, pharma, and the Bob Woodruff Foundation for veterans, among others. The synergy of these efforts now enables our wounded veterans to receive IVF care to start or complete their families,” remarks Dr. Mottla.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation website describes its vision of humanistic care delivered in the medical arena as “Humanistic medical care is not simply compassion. It is the best of medicine. When skilled physicians build caring, trusting, and collaborative relationships with patients, studies reveal more appropriate medical decisions, better patient adherence with treatment plans, and less costly healthcare outcomes.”
The Foundation recognizes that it is not enough to simply be a very knowledgeable physician, or a deeply caring person, but the blend of all facets of medicine that impacts patients. It calls on the highest level of multiple related skills, including demonstrated compassion and empathy in the delivery of patient care, competence in scientific endeavors, respect for patients, families, and co-workers, cultural sensitivity for those with diverse backgrounds, understanding of a patient’s need for interpretation of complex medical diagnoses and treatments, sensitivity to patient’s psychological well-being, and more. Fast-paced scientific breakthroughs, technical updates, and the ever-changing landscape of health-related economics make this a most difficult level of practice to attain and deliver on a consistent basis to patients.
“The Gold Award is one of the most prestigious in our field and is awarded as a nationwide recognition of patient-centered advocacy. It is especially well-deserved by Dr. Mottla for his tireless advocacy, especially for the most vulnerable of our patients,” states Eric A. Widra, M.D., Medical Director of Shady Grove Fertility.
“The ASRM is always quite discerning in choosing who to recognize, and it’s been a privilege to work alongside with Dr. Mottla and his SGF colleagues to advance our legislative agenda in support of family building of all types,” said Barbara Collura, President and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.
Robert J. Stillman, M.D., Medical Director Emeritus of Shady Grove Fertility, “This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Mottla. While he consistently serves his patients with compassion and clinical expertise, more importantly, patients here and everywhere have benefited from his considerable efforts.”
Fundamental to the mission at Shady Grove Fertility is to make fertility treatment more affordable and accessible to more people. Dr. Mottla is among many SGF physicians who have led the charge on various access-to-care issues on behalf of patients. Most recently, he and Stephanie Beall, M.D. advocated for fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment coverage to be included in the Maryland Mandate. Both testified at the local and state levels to help legislators understand how the additional stress and costs leave many patients with a very difficult choice: pay for cancer treatment or risk losing the ability to have a baby in the future.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation in Humanism in Medicine Award stands among other distinctions earned by Dr. Mottla. He has repeatedly been recognized by Washingtonian magazine and What’s Up Annapolis magazine in the top doctor’s edition for reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
Dr. Mottla earned his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, where he was honored with the Dr. David Rothbaum award for superior academic achievement in obstetrics and gynecology and recognized for his compassion and understanding toward patients. He completed his internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Magee-Womens Hospital, University of Pittsburgh before completing a 2 year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at The George Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Mottla sees and consults with patients who need care in all areas of both infertility and reproductive endocrinology. His particular area of interest is in the evaluation and care of couples utilizing gestational surrogacy and egg donation. Dr. Mottla is available for new patient consultations primarily in the Annapolis, MD, office. He is also available for new patient egg donation and gestational carrier consultations in SGF’s Rockville, MD, office.
Dr. Mottla will be recognized as the recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award for Practicing Physicians during the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 ASRM Scientific Congress & on October 30, 2017, in San Antonio, Texas.
About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)
Shady Grove Fertility is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence offering patients individualized care, innovative financial options, and pregnancy rates among the highest of all national centers. 2017 commemorates more than 25 years of Shady Grove Fertility providing medical and service excellence to patients from all 50 states and 35 countries around the world, including its newest expansion to Santiago, Chile in August 2017. Today, with 41 physicians supported by a highly specialized team of more than 750 Ph.D. scientists, geneticists, and staff caring for patients in 28 offices throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., we celebrate over 40,000 babies born. Shady Grove Fertility physicians actively train residents and reproductive endocrinology fellows and invest in continuous clinical research and education to advance the field of reproductive medicine through numerous academic appointments and partnerships such as Georgetown Medical School, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the University of Maryland, and the National Institutes of Health. Nearly 2,000 physicians refer their patients to Shady Grove Fertility each year. For more information, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
Contact
Sarah Hudson | [email protected] | 301.545.1205
Shady Grove Fertility Marketing Team
