The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine is pleased to announce the establishment of the Joseph B. Stanford, M.D., and Kathleen B. Stanford Presidential Chair in Restorative Reproductive Medicine. The chair is now active and funded, and it is anticipated that it will become fully endowed. The inaugural holder of this position will be announced in the coming weeks.
A Presidential chair is a prestigious faculty position supported by donations that represents the highest level of distinction for a university chair. Presidential chairs are established to recruit and retain exceptional faculty members, encourage innovation in the field, and contribute to the academic reputation of the department and university. Academic chairs are typically named for the donor who establishes the chair or for a person whom the donor chooses to honor. In this case, the donor—the Women’s Reproductive Health Foundation—chose to honor the contributions and legacy of Dr. and Mrs. Stanford in the naming of the chair.
Restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) is a branch of reproductive medicine that focuses on identifying and treating underlying factors of reproductive health problems to optimize natural reproductive function and patient health. RRM holds special promise for couples experiencing infertility or miscarriage, as well as for women experiencing disorders of the menstrual cycle that can carry with them painful and disruptive symptoms.
A tribute to Dr. Joseph B. Stanford
Honoree Joseph B. Stanford, M.D. is a tenured Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine who has served as a clinician and researcher at Utah since August 1993, and is a global pioneer in the field of . The chair also honors the contributions of his spouse, Kathleen B. Stanford, in supporting his career trajectory. Dr. Stanford additionally serves as Vice-Chair of Research for DFPM and lends his expertise as an adjunct professor to the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics.
The organization providing the gift, the Women’s Reproductive Health Foundation, is an Iowa-based nonprofit working to advance RRM as a method for understanding human fertility and treating reproductive health problems. Foundation founder, Deborah Colloton, was instrumental in creating the new chair, noting that the naming of the chair recognizes Dr. Stanford’s decades-long contributions to the development of RRM.
“Dr. Stanford is widely respected for his professional excellence, humility, and approach to building bridges with clinicians and researchers from different disciplines,” said Colloton. “Dr. and Mrs. Stanford are known for their devotion to family and community, as well as for their love for the natural world. Naming the chair for the Stanford’s sets the bar high for RRM, and will serve as a great inspiration to others, in particular to young medical professionals pursuing clinical and research careers in restorative approaches to reproductive health.”
“I am honored and most grateful to the team at the Women’s Reproductive Health Foundation,” said Dr. Stanford about the tribute. “We share many of the same passions and interests in the field of reproductive medicine, and I look forward to continuing research and enhancing health care in this field. I also give profound thanks to Kathleen for her encouragement and fundamental support over my entire career.”
A boost for RRM
In the past decade, RRM has emerged as a welcome and promising medical discipline that resonates strongly with patients. “In order for RRM to realize its potential, it is essential to have academic centers of strength for research and training,” said Colloton. “Launching a chair at the University of Utah is a natural fit, as Utah has a reputation for excellence and innovation, and already has served as a site for RRM clinical care and research, including the , a new international RRM research registry.” The STORRM study is investigating outcomes for couples treated with RRM for infertility and miscarriage.
The establishment of the Stanford chair enhances the prestige and recognition of the RRM research and clinical efforts under way at DFPM. The chair will provide its recipient with funding to support excellence in teaching, research, and clinical care.
For Dr. Stanford, the chair position is a continuation of the department’s research and training activities in RRM. It expands on the ongoing work in restorative reproductive medicine at the University of Utah the South Jordan Health Center, and the research and education in the (OCRH) at DFPM, where Dr. Stanford leads a research group and collaborates with other DFPM faculty, including , , and , in addition to former students and faculty in other departments. With additional support from the chair, this exciting work can increase substantially.
“The chair will ensure that RRM development can attract new talent and extend into the future, long after Dr. Stanford retires,” said Colloton. She hopes the chair position will inspire similar chair positions at other leading academic institutions, producing further advancements in the field.
Looking to the future
The excellent work done by researchers like Dr. Stanford is only the beginning of the potential for future RRM research. The Women’s Reproductive Health Foundation envisions improvements in reproductive medicine that could include positive outcomes such as increased body literacy for men and women, greater attention to reproductive health conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, new solutions for patients facing infertility or miscarriage, and the potential for lower cost and more expansive healthcare options for patients.
In addition to the launch of the STORRM study and establishment of the Stanford Chair, other recent milestones in the field of RRM include the launch of the (JRRM), a new scientific journal for sharing knowledge, research, and clinical advancements. Dr. Stanford serves as the inaugural Editor in Chief of the JRRM.
Honoring excellence
The Joseph B. Stanford, M.D., and Kathleen B. Stanford Presidential Chair in Restorative Reproductive Medicine joins a at DFPM, including the George D. Gross, M.D., and Esther M. Gross, M.D., Presidential Endowed Chair; the T.F.H. Morton, M.D., Endowed Chair (); and the Dr. Nymphus Frederick Hicken, Alta Thomas Hicken and Margarete Stahl Wilkin Hicken Endowed Chair (Kyle Bradford Jones, MD).
Joseph B. Stanford, M.D., was born in Salt Lake City, and raised in Provo, Utah. He completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Minnesota State University, Mankato, his medical degree at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and a residency in family medicine and fellowship in public health at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has conducted research in reproductive epidemiology, fertility, and child health, funded by the United States National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Office of Family Planning, as well as from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Woman’s Reproductive Health Foundation, and other foundations. He is a past member of the Advisory Board for Reproductive Health Drugs of the United States Food and Drug Administration. He serves as the Research Director on the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine.
Kathleen B. Stanford, hails from Provo, Utah. She has degrees in chemistry (Brigham Young University) and organ performance (University of Utah). She currently serves as an organist for St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Taylorsville, Utah. She is active in historic preservation and is a founder and board member of the Historic Murray First Foundation. The Stanford’s together have seven sons and 12 grandchildren.