Dr. Mitchell Rosen is a reproductive endocrinology and fertility expert at the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health. He also is director of the UCSF Fertillity Preservation Center, which helps patients with cancer preserve their ability to have children, despite aggressive cancer treatment.

Rosen earned a medical degree at Saint Louis University and completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. During medical and residency training, he was named the best resident twice and received the Ortho-McNeil Best Resident Teacher Award in 2002. Rosen completed fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at UCSF. He was trained in the UCSF embryology laboratory to qualify as a high complexity lab director (HCLD). In addition to caring for patients, he is an assistant professor of medicine at UCSF and teaches medical students, residents and fellows.

Dr. Rosen on his research: My research focuses on Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, oogenesis (folliculogenesis) and early reproductive failure. During my fellowship I explored a basic research interest in a candidate gene (DAZ-L) involved in gametogenesis, and determined that this gene may be involved in the age at ovarian failure and spermatogenesis. I am actively involved in studies to better understand the impact of exogenous stimulation on in vivo and subsequent in vitro oocyte development and maturation. Of particular interest is understanding ways to optimize controlled ovarian hyperstimulation to improve pregnancy outcomes during assisted reproduction. I have recently received funding to develop a randomized trial evaluating concomitant FSH with hCG for ovulation trigger. During a spontaneous ovulatory surge, there is a rise in both FSH and LH. While hCG has been substituted for the LH surge, no studies have addressed the role of FSH on the developing oocyte during the final steps of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation. This prospective study will compare ovarian stimulation and follicular development, along with oocyte maturation, developmental competence, and quality between those participants receiving hCG alone or combined FSH/hCG. In addition, the intrafollicular hormonal milieu, embryo quality, and pregnancy rates will be compared between the two treatment groups.

I am also involved in several other studies, which focus on optimizing embryo selection, leading to single embryo transfer, and thereby decreasing health risks to women and their children. We have established a protocol utilizing proton magnetic spectroscopy and HPLC proteomics to compare embryos with and without known implantation. Additionally, I am a member of a research team addressing the role of methyl-tetrahydrafolate reductase in ovarian stimulation and IVF outcomes, and the effect CMV in semen has on fertilization and embryo quality. Ultimately, my goal is to promote a team effort between clinicians, basic scientists, and embryologists in order to better study folliculogenesis and apply this knowledge to understanding the process of ovarian aging and the impact of exogenous medications on follicle development.