Director's Message
Welcome to the MS-Reproductive Science and Medicine (MS-RSM) program at Northwestern University!
Reproductive Health Underlies Overall Health
Our program’s overarching goal is to train the next generation of thought leaders who can advance reproductive science and medicine to improve the fertile-span, health-span and lifespan of all.
Our Program
The MS-RSM program is one of its kind: focused on human reproductive health, embedded within a medical school and deeply rooted in translational research. Our program is comprehensive, including didactic coursework in reproductive physiology and endocrinology as well as state-of-the-art laboratory technologies. These foundational courses are complemented by advanced topics courses in emerging research in reproductive science and medicine, medical management of fertility, human reproductive health and disease, and fertility preservation and oncofertility. Students then engage in hands-on research either in independent (thesis track) or collaborative (non-thesis track) settings. Through additional courses on responsible conduct of research, scientific communication and professional development, our program generates well-rounded scholars in our discipline.
Our Students
Diversity is a major strength of our program. Since it was established in 2016, the MS-RSM has matriculated more than 50 students who hail from five continents and who bring with them a suite of scientific perspectives, from animal science, biology and biomedical engineering to cell and molecular biology, embryology and andrology and medicine. These perspectives help create a multi-faceted and dynamic learning environment. The diversity of our incoming students is further reflected in the career paths they pursue upon graduation. Our alumni keep the reproductive science and medicine pipeline strong through advanced training in higher education programs (MD, PhD, MD/PhD, PharmD and residency), research careers (laboratory management, research operations and bench science), clinical careers (embryology, andrology, clinical research, regulatory and compliance) and consulting careers (industry, pharmaceuticals).
Our Community
Our community is one without walls, and the MS-RSM students have the benefit of being integral members of the larger reproductive science and medicine community through the Northwestern University Center for Reproductive Science (CRS), which I co-direct along with J. Julie Kim, PhD. Serving as a physical and intellectual hub, the CRS brings investigators together from different departments and disciplines who study reproductive science and medicine from all angles. The CRS provides trainees with a rich series of scientific programming, numerous leadership opportunities and a broad professional network.
I personally trained at Northwestern University in the reproductive sciences, and I cannot think of a more exhilarating place to learn from basic scientists and clinicians about some of the most important topics of our times: reproductive aging, infectious disease, endometriosis, fibroids, reproductive tract cancers, breast cancer, maternal-fetal medicine, polycystic ovarian syndrome, reproductive endocrinology and assisted reproductive technologies.
Enjoy touring our program through these pages, and we look forward to seeing you at Northwestern University!
Francesca E. Duncan, PhD
MS-RSM Program Director
Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor in Reproductive Science
Co-Director of the Center for Reproductive Science
Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology