Isabelle Ryan, MD: SFMS May 2014 Member of the Month June 4, 2014 Member of the Month, SFMS Member Isabelle Ryan, Member of the Month, Pacific Fertility Center, SFMS Member 0 Isabelle Ryan, MD is a board certified Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) specialist with a special interest in treating those with the diagnosis of unexplained infertility and endometriosis. A SFMS member for more than 20 years, Dr. Ryan completed her medical training at UC Davis Medical School and through the prestigious UCSF joint Ob/Gyn residency/REI fellowship program. During her fellowship, she received multiple national recognition awards for excellence in research including the Berlex Scholar's Award. During her tenure at UCSF Fertility Group, Dr. Ryan was an integral member of the research and clinical faculty. There, she pioneered research into the pathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. She has published extensively in medical journals. Her prestigious academic and scientific background and her empathetic approach is a winning combination, much appreciated by her patients. Dr. Ryan joined Pacific Fertility Center in 1999. She is the Medical Director of PFC’s Egg Donor Agency and the PFC Donor Egg Bank, the first independent frozen donor egg bank in Northern California. Click here to view Dr. Isabelle Ryan's practice information. I am a SFMS member because SFMS creates a community for San Francisco physicians across various medical disciplines, and keeps us apprised of both local and state initiatives which are vital to the health and well-being of our patients. I think the most helpful SFMS resource is San Francisco Medicine. The SFMS journal is one of the important tools for keeping a pulse on medical topics of interest in San Francisco, whether they are simply medical issues and challenges in disciplines other than reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI), or political topics which affect all aspects of medical care. I also attend the annual meeting, where I can connect and re-connect with colleagues. The most important thing I learned in medical school and residency is to "think outside the box, be entrepreneurial, be a leader." We spend many years learning to conform and fit within a certain mold–but in fertility medicine, we have to stay on the forefront of technology, innovation, ethics, and also comply with our patients' needs and requests regarding the families we help create. What are some of the biggest opportunities or challenges you see in health care within the next five years? The biggest opportunity I see in fertility medicine is "preserving fertility today for future pregnancy options." Currently, this means fertility preservation via oocyte freezing, but there are promising opportunities if stem cell medicine provides the technology for oocyte rejuvenation. Other challenges revolve around helping our patients reach "healthiest pregnancies." This means singleton pregnancies of the healthiest embryos–embryo screening techniques such as CCS (comprehensive chromosome screening) have brought us closer to this goal, but new embryo screening technologies and a better understanding of the role of the uterine lining will bring us even closer. I love being a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist because it is a great honor to be a part of my patients' dreams of creating a family. There are ups and downs on that path to parenthood, but whatever the outcome, I am honored to help navigate the journey. What is your favorite restaurant in San Francisco? Since I love to share a good meal with friends and family, there are numerous SF restaurants which I have visited and revisited. I recently had a wonderful meal at AQ and not only enjoyed the creative food pairings, but the dinner was such that conversation was equally enjoyed (an important barometer of a "good restaurant" for me). My favorite neighborhood restaurant for "Friday dinner after a long week" is the Lotus Garden for vegetarian pho (on Mission St). If I wasn't a physician, I would like to be an artist (probably a photographer). While in high school, I was very involved in printmaking of various kinds (silk screening, etchings, wood block print) and also did my own B&W photography printing. I would love to re-explore those interests. Comments are closed.
