Stay informed about the latest news and research updates on infertility and in vitro fertilization (IVF) from the Jones Foundation.
The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine supports Alabama infertility patients.
By Jones Foundation / In News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2024
The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine (“Jones Foundation”) was founded by IVF pioneers Dr. Howard W. Jones, Jr. and Dr. Georgeanna S. Jones who established the first in vitro fertilization program in the United States, the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, that was responsible for the first American born IVF baby in l981, and training many of today’s leaders in the field. Over 8 million IVF children have been born in the US since then.
Today, members of the Jones Foundation Board of Directors stand in disbelief at the February 16 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court which states that frozen embryos are children under state law. “The ruling directly threatens Alabama reproductive medicine and infertility physicians and their patients. The IVF therapy patients need in order to have a baby may be eliminated in Alabama and jeopardized in other U.S. states. We must speak out and support reproductive medicine physicians and scientists and, especially, their patients.” said Board member Georgeanna Jones Klingensmith, M.D., daughter of Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones.
“The ethical pursuit of IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technology advances was always at the heart of Dr. Jones’ clinical and research efforts” said Susan L. Crockin, J.D., Board member and senior scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. “Throughout their illustrious careers they recognized the importance of understanding and using precise medical terminology as they worked toward advances. They urged law and policy makers to understand the facts and science behind any regulatory efforts, and emphasized the critical partnership and role of ethics alongside the advances and promises of IVF. Sadly, the Alabama court applied none of these nuanced perspectives in what can only be seen as an uninformed and disastrous perspective in the name of one religious perspective.”
The Alabama ruling hampers dedicated and highly trained doctors from providing standard of care services needed by thousands of infertile patients to build their families. The reasoning of the opinion threatens to prevent scientific research to improve infertility treatments as investigators pause in fear of legal liability to determine the future of IVF protocols, and efforts to improve on them.
This Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of science as we pursue excellence in research and education that might improve the human condition. The ruling in Alabama runs contrary to the accomplishments of giants Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones, to the mission of this organization and to the pledge we share for the improvement of in vitro fertilization technology and treatment.
Please consider supporting the Jones Foundation - dedicated exclusively to reproductive medicine’s life-giving research and education. Visit www.jonesfound.org
The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine Announces New Board Members.
By Jones Foundation / In News
Nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing scientific and medical research in the field of reproductive medicine announces new Board members.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2023
Virginia Beach – The Jones Foundation announced today that three physicians have joined the organization’s Board of Directors:
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Mark Hughes, M.D., Ph.D., retired, former Professor and Chair of Human Molecular Genetics; Founder of Genesis Genetics Institute, a multinational Genomics Diagnostic company.
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Suheil J. Muasher, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine.
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Robert J. Stillman, M.D., Medical Director Emeritus and Senior Mentor, Shady Grove Fertility.
The Jones Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing scientific and medical research in the field of reproductive medicine. The Foundation seeks to find solutions to infertility and improve reproductive health by funding vital research and advancing public and professional discourse to shape the bioethics of reproductive medicine.
“We are thrilled to announce the addition of Drs. Hughes, Muasher and Stillman to our Board of Directors. These preeminent physicians in the treatment of assisted reproductive technologies, genetics and education add tremendous value to our team,” said Robert W. Jones, Chairman of the Board. According to Mr. Jones, the Foundation leadership remains committed to bridging the gap between medical research and clinical practice by engaging those individuals that will promote academic and clinical excellence. “We proudly celebrate the addition of these exceptional leaders to our Board of Directors as we continue to advance the work started by Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones.” commented Mr. Jones.
The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine Announces Four New Medical Advisory Committee Members.
By Jones Foundation / In News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2022
Virginia Beach – The Jones Foundation announced today that four prominent physicians have joined the organization’s medical advisory committees:
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Christos Coutifaris, MD, PhD, The Celso Ramon Garcia Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Jerome F. Strauss, III, MD, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Kathleen Devine, MD, Executive Medical Officer and Research Director, US Fertility, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Georgetown University School of Medicine and Research and Clinical Collaborator; REI Fellowship, Program in Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology, NIH, NICHD.
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Anish A. Shah, MD, MHS, Executive Growth Physician, US Fertility and Practice Director, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Shady Grove Fertility Jones Institute.
The Jones Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing scientific and medical research in the field of reproductive medicine. The foundation seeks to find solutions to infertility and improve reproductive health by funding vital research and advancing public and professional discourse to shape the bioethics of reproductive medicine.
“With the added assistance and guidance of Drs. Coutifaris, Strauss, Devine and Shah we hope to improve the chances that every couple can achieve the dream of becoming a family,” said Robert W. Jones, Chairman of the Board. According to Mr. Jones, the Foundation leadership remains committed to bridging the gap between medical research and clinical practice by engaging individuals that will promote academic and clinical excellence.
Mr. Jones further commented that, “The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine is the nation’s preeminent medical research foundation in reproductive medicine. For 37 years we have pioneered solutions to infertility and improved reproductive health by funding assisted reproductive medical research and education. We proudly celebrate the addition of these exceptional leaders to our advisory committees as we continue to advance the work started by Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones.”
The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine announces its sponsorship of the Jones Foundation Infertility Counseling Conference.
By Jones Foundation / In News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 12, 2024
The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine is pleased to announce that it has become the primary sponsor of the internationally acclaimed Jones Foundation Infertility Counseling Conference (“JFICC”), formerly known as the Jefferson Infertility Counseling Conference. As one of its long-established missions of sponsoring educational endeavors to address public policy issues impacting reproductive medicine and contribute to improving the human condition, the Jones Foundation is excited to sponsor this exceptional educational conference.
The JFICC was conceived in 2012 to address a void in high-quality mental health training by conference director, Andrea Braverman, Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in the mental health field for over 30 years. Dr. Braverman is a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Thomas Jefferson University. Together with co-directors Susan Crockin, J.D., Crockin Law & Policy Group and Senior Scholar at Georgetown Law Center’s O’Neill Institute, and William Petok, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University, the conference is now in its 11th year.
This 4-day annual conference is attended by over 250 professionals from the United States and Europe. Long recognized as the premier annual conference for mental health and allied professionals practicing in the assisted reproductive technology space, the annual conference will be held April 17-20, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA. In the spirit and tradition of Dr. Howard W. Jones, Jr., and Dr. Georgeanna S. Jones’ encouragement of learning through dialogue and meaningful gatherings, the conference engages participants by addressing cutting-edge medical, legal, ethical, and psychosocial issues and developments in a welcoming, collegial, and interactive learning environment. For additional information about the conference, please visit jficc.org.
Caroline Sprague selected to receive the Post-Dobbs Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Law Writing Award.
By Jones Foundation / In News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 10, 2022
Caroline Sprague has been selected to receive the Post-Dobbs Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Law Writing Award. She has been recognized for a paper that discusses the effects of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision on assisted reproductive medicine. The Jones Foundation partnered with representatives from Georgetown Law’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law in a joint effort to encourage innovative and thorough research and analysis of the legal implications that will affect medical practices in the United States.
Ms. Sprague is a recent cum laude graduate from Georgetown University Law Center and an incoming associate at Skadden Arps’ New York office. She was the executive administrative editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, a peer tutor, and a judicial extern for the Ninth Circuit. Caroline graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 2020.
To read Caroline Sprague’s award-winning paper entitled On Embryos and the Uh-Ohs: An assessment of the Post-Dobbs Risk of Negligent Homicide and Involuntary Manslaughter Prosecutions for Destruction of Embryos, click HERE.