Forest Garner leads our world-renowned IVF research program
One reason why so many people from all over the world travel to our leading US fertility center is our reputation as a leader in groundbreaking IVF research. They may never meet Forest Garner, director of research, but they will likely benefit from his work. The research he does in conjunction with the FCLV physicians makes fertility treatment more effective and efficient for every patient in our care.
Most of Forest’s work is done behind the scenes, as he is responsible for many aspects of the research process that has made FCLV a world-renowned leader in innovative reproductive medicine.
In collaboration with the doctors, Forest designs and oversees our IVF research studies and clinical trials, gains approval from the IRB (Institutional Review Board), gathers and analyzes the resulting data and ensures that strict standards for quality control are met. Once studies are complete, he helps write study reports in collaboration with our leading fertility specialists, then disseminates the latest research so that other fertility specialists worldwide can use the data to help more people grow their families.
Forest also tracks statistics related to FCLV’s outcomes, from pregnancy and birth rates to different patient groups’ responses to specific treatments and protocols. He manages the reporting process for these SART outcomes data, contributing to a public knowledge base accessible by physicians worldwide, as well as those who need assisted reproductive technology to have a baby.
The research that Forest oversees and organizes raises the bar for the safety and effectiveness of infertility treatment, not only for our patients, but for people who need fertility treatment all over the world.
“I’m especially proud of our IVF research on embryo freezing, which the editor of one medical journal called one of the most significant findings of the last decade,” Forest notes. “I love having an opportunity to improve the science of reproductive medicine, and I feel like I’m making a difference here. I know for certain there are people alive today because of the work I’ve done here.”
Other important research includes the use of Lupron instead of hCG to “trigger” ovulation. This method greatly improves safety for IVF patients with many ovarian follicles. We’ve also studied endometrial receptivity, infant health and pregnancy outcome prediction.
IVF research and numbers come naturally
Long before his path led to his fulfilling research job with our leading US fertility center in 2003, Forest found his natural aptitude for numbers very early in life, earning the highest score in Southern Nevada on a statewide high school math test, along with a medal.
At the University of Nevada, he skipped Calculus I and started as a freshman in Calculus II, then went on to earn both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in mathematics, with an emphasis on statistics.
“I am a statistician, so one of my passions is math,” Forest says. “The staff here sometimes uses me instead of their calculators because in most cases, I am faster.”
Prior to joining the FCLV team to focus on IVF research, Forest spent 16 years with Lockheed Martin as a statistician, where he managed a team of 40 chemists, programmers and statisticians. He’s happy that his career path brought him to a leading US fertility center where his work can make such a positive impact on people’s lives and families.
“Reproductive medicine is a fascinating field to work in,” Forest says. “When I first started here, the science was still young, and there was a lot of room for improvement in embryo implantation rates. Today, most embryos we transfer do implant, and I like to think that the research done here has a lot to do with that. We’ve had some of the highest birth rates in the United States.”
Lifelong Las Vegas resident
Forest has lived in Las Vegas all of his life, and while most people think of Vegas as a big city, Forest’s childhood had a distinctly rural feel.
“Growing up, I cared for an odd assortment of family pets, from dogs to ducks, chickens, a cow, a guinea pig, a monkey, a myna bird that said unpleasant things, a skunk and two alligators,” he recalls. A military history buff, Forest experienced his first plane ride from the cockpit, where he took the controls and flew the plane himself at the age of 11.
Forest has two grown daughters – one pharmacist and the other a student at The University of Nevada at Las Vegas – and enjoys traveling with his wife, who is a school teacher.
To learn more about how our IVF research has made FCLV a leading US fertility center, contact us to schedule a consultation. Forest Garner, together with our entire team of experienced professionals, looks forward to assisting you.
