Simon Fishel

Professor Simon Fishel is the Founder and President of the CARE Fertility Group– the UK’s largest independent provider of fertility services. Simon is also Co-Founder and CEO of ProFaM (Protecting Fertility and Menopause), the world first company established to preserve ovarian hormones for potential future use (such as providing physiological HRT -or, naturally postponing menopause!) in addition to preserving fertility. Additionally, he is Chair of the Advisory Board for Genomic Prediction, the first company in the world to develop risk-score screening of embryos for polygenic disease, and also the screening of ANXA5 M2 mutation, a gene haplotype responsible for miscarriage and placenta-mediated pregnancy complications. He began his research career at the University of Cambridge in 1975 with Bob Edwards, who was responsible with Patrick Steptoe for the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978. During the 1978-1980 he was the first to publish on the metabolic responsiveness of embryos to their environment, and he also published on demonstrating the presence of specific uterine glycoproteins suggesting bidirectional signalling. Simon joined Patrick and Bob at Bourn Hall, world first dedicated IVF clinic, as Deputy Scientific Director when it opened in 1980, where he was part of the “original” clinical team of four undertaking IVF (the other member being John Webster). In 1979 he was appointed a Research Fellow at Churchill College, and in 1980 was awarded the prestigious Beit Memorial Fellowship. In1984 Simon was the first to publish on the secretion of HCG by the human embryo. He has published over 200 scientific papers and three books and, with Alison Campbell, the first atlas of time-lapse images of the human embryo. His pioneering work in the field of IVF has resulted in many honorary awards from countries such as Japan, Austria, Italy, South Africa and the US, amongst others. In 1992 he founded the world first degree course in IVF and he has advised several international Government committees reviewing policy and legislation on IVF, including advisors to the Vatican. In 1997 he was awarded a Personal Professional Chair in Human Reproduction, is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and in 2009 was honoured by the Liverpool John Moores University with their highest award of ‘University Fellow’ for “outstanding contribution to science and to humanity”. He also holds an honorary Professorial Chair at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University. Simon Founded the Rachel Foundation, a charity for research to help children rendered infertile due to medical treatment, and also to help raise awareness for secondary infertility. Simon’s professional interests span all elements of human reproduction, fertility and embryology, IVF technologies in particular, and menopause.