College of Veterinary Medicine - Cornell University

Reproductive Biology

Perpetuation of any species is the outcome of normal reproductive processes. However, this fundamental element of biology is countered by a need to control fertility to match the sustainability of our natural resources, a very difficult task of growing national and international concern. At Cornell University, research into aspects of reproductive biology encompasses a host of different species (from mice and human beings to cattle and horses), examining both male and female reproductive function and fertility at the systems, endocrine, gonadal, genetic, and molecular levels. Our research groups are highly collaborative and help to form the Center for Reproductive Genomics as well as a Training Program in Reproductive Genomics supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. This group also boasts one of the longest running journal clubs and seminar series on the Cornell campus.

Faculty	Research area(s)	Graduate Field Membership (Biological & Biomedical Sciences Fields in bold)
Doug Antczak	pregnancy immunology; immunogenetics; equine immunology	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Immunology & Infectious Disease; Molecular & Integrative Physiology
W. Ron Butler	reproductive physiology; gonadotropins and ovarian function; reproduction/nutrition interactions	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Animal Science
Paula E. Cohen	etiology of spontaneous birth defects in mammals; mechanisms of meiotic recombination; DNA repair proteins in meiosis and recombination; germ cell development; ovarian development	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Genetics, Genomics and Development; Genomics
Scott Coonrod	reproductive physiology; molecular and cellular physiology; epigenetic reprogramming during the egg-to-embryo transition; mechanisms by which specific histone modifications are dynamically regulated during hormone-dependent gene transcription in breast cancer cells	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Paul D. Curtis	animal behavior; population ecology; reproductive biology	Zoology & Wildlife Conservation; Natural Resources
Robin L. Davisson	molecular mechanisms of determining normal cardiovascular function and pathogenesis of certain cardiovascular diseases; central neural control of blood pressure and autonomic function; molecular determinants of cardiac disease; molecular pathophysiology of preeclampsia	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Pharmacology; Environmental Toxicology
Joanne Fortune	ovarian development and function; regulation of ovarian follicular development and function	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Animal Science; Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Maria Garcia-Garcia	development biology in mice and flies; genetics of developmental mechanisms that influence embryonic morphology	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology; Genetics, Genomics and Development
Robert O. Gilbert	theriogenology; bovine health and reproduction; canine genetics	Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Laura C. Harrington	mosquito biology and behavior; disease ecology and evolution; epidemiology; medical entomology; mosquito biology; vector-borne disease ecology	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; Entomology
Patricia A. Johnson	animal science and physiology; endocrinology and reproductive physiology	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Animal Science
Siu Sylvia Lee	molecular genetics of aging; signaling pathways of nutrient sensing; molecular basis of stress response	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology; Computational Biology; Genetics, Genomics and Development; Nutrition
Marla Lujan	nutritional regulation of fertility; endocrinology and metabolism; polycystic ovary syndrome; ultrasonography	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Nutrition
Vicki Meyers-Wallen	inherited canine diseases; reproductive tract disorders	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Alexander Nikitin	genetic modeling of human cancer in the mouse; early detection and monitoring of carcinogenesis; neoplasms of reproductive and endocrine systems	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Environmental Toxicology
Kimberly O'Brien	calcium metabolism and bone health; control of maternal/fetal nutrient; partitioning and cellular mineral transport; micronutrient status in international settings; development of mass spectrometric methodology; pediatric bone health; pregnancy and mineral metabolism in adolescents	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Nutrition
John E. Parks	spermatogenesis in vitro; gamete physiology; cryobiology	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Animal Science
Ned J. Place	mammalian reproductive biology with a focus on the life history of trade-offs associated with timing of hormone secretion and reproductive effort, sexual differentiation	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Zoology & Wildlife Conservation; Neurobiology & Behavior
Susan M. Quirk	reproductive physiology; focus on molecular and cellular aspects of ovarian function	Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Animal Science
Mark Stephen Roberson	molecular endocrinology in reproductive tissues	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Pharmacology; Environmental Toxicology
John Schimenti	mouse genetics and functional genomics; genomic instability; genetic recombination; genetics of gametogenesis and development; use of ES cells to mutagenize the mouse genome	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology; Genetics, Genomics and Development; Genomics
Donald H. Schlafer	reproductive pathology; infectious diseases	Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Vimal Selvaraj	Pluripotency and Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine, Animal Biotechnology, Technologies for Wildlife Conservation	Zoology & Wildlife Conservation; Animal Science
Susan S. Suarez	sperm motility regulation and transport into the female reproductive tract	Comparative Biomedical Science; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Zoology & Wildlife Conservation
Alexander J. Travis	comparative biology of male germ cells; signaling and metabolism of sperm during capacitation; organization of lipid raft membrane sub-domains in sperm; applications of technologies using reproductive stem cells for wildlife conservation	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Zoology & Wildlife Conservation; Animal Science
Robert S. Weiss	genomic maintenance mechanisms; cell cycle checkpoints; molecular responses to genomic stress; mouse models of genomic instability	Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Molecular & Integrative Physiology; Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology; Environmental Toxicology; Genetics, Genomics and Development; Genomics
Mariana Wolfner	molecular, developmental, and genetic studies of Drosophila reproduction; embryogenesis and nuclear envelope; function and evolution of reproductive genes	Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Genomics and Development