Researcher brings reproductive and infertility program to West Michigan

Sharon Hanks

An internationally renowned researcher who was recruited from Chicago to West Michigan last year has now helped bring with him a reproduction and infertility research center to Grand Rapids.

Researcher Asgi T. Fazleabas, the director of the Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research, will continue to lead the program now housed in the Van Andel Institute in downtown Grand Rapids, instead of the University of Illinois. Last year Dr. Fazleabas became a professor and associate chair in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Michigan State University's medical school.

The program is now in the eighth year of funding through a $6.8 million award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Research has focused on the diagnostics of endometriosis.

"Bringing the center to Grand Rapids is transformative in our ability to attract world-class research," says Dr. Richard Leach, professor and chair of the department. "He's just a great talent and highly regarded investigator. We tried very hard to recruit him to Grand Rapids. We're looking forward to not only completing this work, but to putting forth another proposal in the coming years with Dr. Fazleabas as the lead investigator."

Leach was a former colleague of Fazleabas at the University of Illinois. A collaborative recruitment effort by the Spectrum Health - MSU Alliance and Van Andel Institute helped persuade Fazleabas to move to metro Grand Rapids where he can still rely on the talents of two principal investigators, Serdar Bulun of Northwestern University and Romana Nowak of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

MSU's Center for Women's Health and Reproduction Research/SCCPIR is one of 15 nationwide.

Sources: Dr. Richard Leach, professor and chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at MSU College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids; Geri A. Kelley, Communications Manager, MSU College of Human Medicine.

Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.