Dr. Robert W. Rebar receives American Society for Reproductive Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award

Robert W. Rebar, MD
Robert W. Rebar, MD

Robert W. Rebar, MD, founding chair and professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at WMed, was recently presented with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Lifetime Achievement Award during the ASRM Annual Scientific Congress in Anaheim, California.

The award honors a member of ASRM who has made exemplary contributions to the field of reproduction during their career. Dr. Rebar was recognized for his “substantial and impactful contributions to reproductive biology and academic medicine,” which “have made a lasting impact on the frontiers of research in reproductive sciences and in the education of the scientific community. As Executive Director of ASRM for a decade, his leadership helped to advance the strategic initiatives of the Society, to facilitate relationships with key stakeholders, and to enhance the overall vibrance and relevancy of the organization.”

Dr. Rebar received his MD degree from the University of Michigan, completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the National Institutes of Health. He served on the faculties of UCSD and Northwestern medical schools before becoming chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati. He served as full-time Executive Director of the ASRM for 11 years. After retirement, Dr. Rebar became the founding chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at WMed where he recruited the initial faculty, and with them developed a medical school clerkship and a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology before stepping down to focus on teaching.

Dr. Rebar is a member of numerous professional societies, including ASRM, served on the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Subspecialty Division of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and has served on the editorial boards of several journals. Dr. Rebar has authored over 300 articles on menopause, fertility, and reproductive endocrinology and has been the principal or a co-investigator on several NIH grants. His research focused on forms of hypothalamic chronic anovulation, polycystic ovary syndrome, premature ovarian insufficiency, menopause, and contraception. Dr. Rebar has published peer-reviewed articles during seven consecutive decades, from the 1960s through the 2020s. He has published articles in many of the leading journals in his discipline, including Science, the Journal of the American Medical Society, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Endocrinology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Menopause, Fertility and Sterility, Human Reproduction, the Biology of Reproduction, and Contraception. He has previously received lifetime achievement awards from the International Federation of Fertility Societies and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

ASRM is the largest and oldest society devoted to reproductive medicine in the world, founded in 1944 with over 8,000 members worldwide from over 100 different countries.