Tribute to a Groundbreaking Researcher:

In 1992, Dr. Luigi Mastroianni Jr. was awarded the Society for the Study of Reproduction Distinguished Service Award, one of many prestigious honors he has earned in his still active career. The Award citation, printed below, summarizes Dr. Mastroianni's enormous contributions to the Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, to the Department of Obsterics and Gynecology at Penn, and to the world.

"Luigi Mastroianni, Jr. is a graduate of Yale University and holds the M.D. degree from Boston University School of Medicine. He proceeded on to internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Metropolitan Hospital in New York, and thereafter to a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School and Free Hospital for Women in Boston, working under Professor John Rock's direction. He returned to Yale University as an Assistant Professor, and in 1961 moved to Harbor General Hospital as Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA, where he continued to focus on the basic physiology of the oviduct, characterizing its metabolism, the nature and timing of its secretions, and the role of the oviductal environment in oocyte conditioning, sperm activation, and fertilization.

"In 1965, he was appointed the William Goodell Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. There he established a Division of Reproductive Biology and a Division of Human Reproduction, and out of this evolved a research institute with an international focus which has fostered the development of the careers of investigators from more than 25 countries. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of Fertility & Sterility and is a Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

"Penn’s Division of Reproductive Biology was one of the first, if not the first, such endeavor of its kind. Under his leadership this unit has made substrantial contributions to the understanding of the female reproductive tract and of the biology of male and female gametes. The Division has also carried out a research training program in reproductive biology in which investigators from the United States and 20 some countries abroad, particularly from Latin America, have participated. In October 1991, these former trainees from all continents save Antarctica assembled in Philadelphia to pay tribute to Dr. Mastroianni’s leadership in reproductive biology research.

"Concurrently with the establishment of the Division of Reproductive Biology, Dr. Mastroianni fostered the development of the Division of Human Reproduction, which was a pioneer in the treatment of infertility involving both partners of the infertile couple. In 1987 he relinquished the Department Chair to devote full time to this field as Director of the Division. The basic knowledge gained from this research unit was put to clinical application, with the result that it has long been at the forefront in the treatment of human infertility. It was in the early 1970 that Dr. Mastroianni, with his colleage Dr. Pierre Soupart of Vandrbuilt University, became a major proponent of the study of in vitro fertilization in human reproduction.

"In 1983, Dr. Mastrioanni performed the first successful human in vitro fertilization in the Philadelphia region. His groundbreaking animal research in the mid-to-late 1970s paved the way for IVF.

"Dr. Mastroianni is recognized internationally by honorary memberships in fertility societies of Spain, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Italy, Colombia, and Mexico. In 1989, Dr. Mastroianni received the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine for his contributions to the field of human reproduction. In 1990, he received the Career Achievement Award of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in 1992, the Distinguished Service Award of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, and in 1995, the Axel Munthe Award. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and has chaired its Committee on Contraceptive Development. In 1998 he was honored by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia for distinguished service, and in 2004 he received the Society for Gynecologic Investigation’s Distinguished Scientist Award."

And he continues his strong commitment to research, clinical service, and public advocacy in women’s health.

Select Publications:
Patrizio, P., Mastroianni, A.C., Mastroianni, L.: Disclosure to children conceived with donor gametes should be optional. Hum. Reprod. 16: 2036-2038, 2001.

Mastroianni, L., Jr., Ravnikar, V.A., Wooten, W.: Assessing and maintaining bone health in the postmenopausal woman. Contemporary Ob/Gyn, 46: 44-60, 2001.

Dayal M, Kovalevsky G, Mastroianni Jr L: Endocrine regulation of tubal function. In: Advances in Gynecological Endocrinology. Proceedings of the 8th World Congress of Gynecological Endocrinology, Florence, Italy. Genazzani AR, Petraglia F (Eds), Parthenon Publishing, London, UK, 2001.

Segal SJ, Mastroianni L: Hormone Use in Menopause and Male Andropause: A Choice for Women and Men. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Chung K, Mastroianni L. Psychosexual effects of menopause. In: Androgens and Reproductive Aging. Tulandi and Gelfand (Eds), Oxfordshire, UK, 2005.

Mastroianni L: Oral Contraception and IVF: A Study in Contrasts. In: Proceedings of the 12th World Congress on Human Reproduction, Venice, Italy.

Genazzani AR, Schenker J, Artini PG, Simoncini T (Eds), Edizione Internazionali, 2005.