We're exited to continue our new blog series to spotlight National Physicians Cooperative member institutions!  If your institution is a member of the NPC, submit your information to us for development of an institution-specific page on the Oncofertility Consortium website, as well as a blog post, to oncofertility@northwestern.edu.  If you are interested in learning more about how to join the NPC, contact Brigid Smith at brigid.smith@northwestern.edu or (312)503-2506.

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The core goals of the Fertility Preservation Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) focus on clinical service, education (family and provider) and research. Goals include:

• Providing a clinical consultation service for health care providers as well as direct counseling for patients at risk for infertility due to their medical condition and/or its treatment
• Facilitating timely referrals for fertility preservation methods considered standard clinical care (sperm banking, oocyte/embryo freezing, ovarian transposition)
• Offering cutting edge, experimental options for fertility preservation (testicular and ovarian tissue cryopreservation) within the context of organized research protocols
• Working with laboratory experts to expand and refine the current scientific knowledge needed to transform the state of reproductive medicine in this area

In January 2009, Fertile Hope named CHOP as a Center of Excellence for its commitment to inform all cancer patients and their families of the infertility risk of cancer treatment and to offer potential ways to preserve fertility. We are the first children's hospital to achieve this distinction and we continue to provide leadership in the area of fertility preservation, both nationally and abroad.

We are pleased to be able to offer fertility preservation options to both prepubertal and pubertal males and females.

OPTIONS FOR MALES

• Sperm Banking
• Testicular Tissue Cryopreservation (via participation in a research protocol)

OPTIONS FOR FEMALES

• Oocyte Freezing
• Embryo Freezing
• Ovarian Transposition
• Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation (via participation in a research protocol)

MEET OUR TEAM

Jill P. Ginsberg, MD, is a pediatric oncologist and director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at CHOP’s Cancer Center. She is also the director of CHOP’s Fertility Preservation Program.

Thomas F. Kolon, MD, is an attending pediatric urologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He provides surgical expertise for our testicular tissue procedures.

Peter Mattei, MD, FACS, FAAP, is an attending pediatric surgeon at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He provides surgical expertise for our ovarian tissue procedures.

Clarisa R. Gracia, MD, MSCE, Director, Fertility Preservation, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gracia is a leading fertility preservation expert and provides counseling, oocyte retrieval/cryopreservation, and surgical services for our female patients.

Christine Hill-Kayser, MD is the chief of the Pediatric Service for the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael J. Glassner, MD, Director at Main Line Fertility and Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Glassner is our local partner for sperm banking as well as oocyte/embryo freezing.

Sue Ogle, RN, MSN, CRNP

Wendy Hobbie, RN, MSN, CRNP, FAAN

Claire A. Carlson, BSN, RN, Nurse Coordinator

Maureen Prewitt, BA, BSN, RNC, Director of Clinical Research Support, Oncofertility, Women’s Health Clinical Research Center, Penn Fertility Care

LABORATORY PARTNERS

Ralph L. Brinster, V.M.D., Ph.D. , Richard King Mellon Professor of Reproductive Physiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.

Sandra W. Ryeom, Ph.D. , Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania

PATIENT RESOURCES

This Is Awkward: A resource for boys considering sperm banking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYecwbPNkXE

Fertility Options for Young Female Cancer Patients

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ1PIg7dSPU

LEARN MORE

If you have questions or would like to discuss coming to CHOP for fertility preservation, feel free to contact Claire Carlson at 215-590-0432.