Today’s Advertiser helped make the production and delivery of this episode possible. But the themes expressed by the guests do not necessarily reflect the views of Inside Reproductive Health, nor of the Advertiser. The Advertiser does not have editorial control over the content of this episode, nor does the Advertiser's sponsorship constitute an endorsement of the guest or their organization. The guest's appearance is not an endorsement of the Advertiser.
Looking to hire top REI talent? Want more meaningful conversations with clinic execs and embryologists?
There’s one summer meeting that keeps coming up in those conversations: The Midwest Reproductive Symposium International (MRSi).
In this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, we’re joined by three of its organizers; Dr. Gretchen Collins, Dr. Eric Forman, and Dr. Morgan Wilhoite—who share how they’ve used MRSi to build real connections that last.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
Why MRSi is uniquely valuable for vendors, fellows, and physicians
The best ways to meet rising REI talent
How to make your sponsorship dollars work harder for you
How Fellows are building their networks before graduation
What makes the MRSi environment ideal for genuine, lasting collaboration
Whether you’re hiring, building partnerships, or just looking to grow your network, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
P.S. I don’t get anything from this, but if you want to save 10% on your registration, use my promo code: GJONES9
FREE PRACTICE OWNERSHIP LIST
Who Owns Each Fertility Clinic In the U.S.? Discover the Ownership Status of 450+ Fertility Practices
Get a comprehensive list of every fertility clinic in the USA. Updated October 2024
Find out if they are:
Independently owned
Part of a fertility clinic network
Affiliated with an academic/health system
Stay informed about consolidation trends in the fertility industry
Perfect for independent practice owners and industry professionals--see who is still independent!
Download it now for free – just fill out a short form on the next page and get instant access.
-
GG (00:03)
The thing that I love about MRSI is it's a smaller conference. so you never feel like you're missing out on a lecture. You have access to those speakers. The networking that I have done at MRSI is better than
to be honest, any of the other conferences I have been at because they do a great job again of breaking down a bigger population of people into a smaller group.
really like it. I think it's a very valuable conference and I think the connections you make are wonderful.
Griffin Jones (00:46)
I get these wasque we will fell was to come work for me. How do I get more one on one time with fertility docs and execs. I know a place where REIs and business people and embryologists and managers network under a golden sun and piercing blue skies and oceanic vistas of Lake Michigan in the perfect part of summer in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet Earth. If you want to network with your colleagues and do business, the Midwest Reproductive Symposium from June 4th to 7th in Chicago has been one of
the key meetings for me. That's why I brought on three of its organizers, Dr. Gretchen Collins, Dr. Eric Forman, and unsigned second year fellow, Dr. Morgan Wilhoite. They talk about how they've built their networks at MRSI, how practices can meet REI fellows and residents, the advantages to vendors and tips to vendors to get the most return on your investment. This can really be worth your while. The debate about PGT is an add-on, ICSI, and lab automation.
with Kate Devine and Denny Sackett.
Blockbuster Business Strategies with Richard Scott, Building Star Teams with Jared Robbins, and a lot more. You could even find a team to meet with MidCap Advisors. And if you think you might sell your fertility practice in even the next 10 years, you should meet with them at MRSI or get a hold of them digitally or on the phone.
If you want to save a couple shillings when you register, you can use my promo code, GJONES9. I don't make anything off of it. I just gone to this meeting every year that wasn't 2020 for the last decade for a reason. And you can use GJONES9 if you want to see how much I've gotten out of it and enjoy some of those fruits as well, business, personal, and otherwise. Dr. Angie Beltsoe's hospitality is infused everywhere in this meeting.
And these fertility doctors invite you to leverage it to the benefit of your career and your business. Enjoy this conversation on the future of fertility networking with doctors Gretchen Collins, Eric Forman, and Morgan Wilhoite
Griffin Jones (03:05)
Dr. Collins, Dr. Forman, Dr. Wilhoite Gretchen, Gigi, Eric, Morgan, welcome back to the Inside Reproductive Health podcast for two of you and Gigi, welcome for the first time to the show.
GG (03:18)
Thanks, excited to be here.
Eric Forman (03:20)
Thanks for having us. Great to be back.
Morgan Wilhoite (03:20)
Thanks for that.
Griffin Jones (03:23)
Morgan Wilhoite, what are you paying attention to right now, whether it's tech, whether it's research? What in the fertility space has your eye?
Morgan Wilhoite (03:30)
Great question to start us off Griffin. So I am a second year REI fellow right now and I think for me going to conferences right now there's two main things that I'm really paying attention to especially now that I'm at that halfway point through fellowship. One is what are the things that patients are going to ask me about when I start practice here in a short 15 months. I think the clinical research coming out right now is what's going to be
how people are practicing in a year to two years when more research comes out about that. So for me, I wanna know what questions I'm gonna get from patients and how I'm gonna practice the most up-to-date medicine in RE. I think the other part of MRSI that I'm gonna be looking for is really the networking. I haven't signed my contracts yet. I'm still kind of in the process of figuring out where I'm gonna be. So here in a couple months, I'll likely still be in that networking phase and could still.
changed my mind on where I want to be. those are the two biggest things for me, the new research clinically as well as the networking.
Griffin Jones (04:35)
There's about 10 practice owners listening just now. like, ⁓ maybe I should go. They're buying their tickets to MRSI right now. When you say preparing for the things that patients are going to ask you about, do you mean learning about rare edge cases so that you're prepared for if they have really particular questions? Or what do you mean by that?
Morgan Wilhoite (04:38)
Hey, a lot of your teachers are going as well.
GG (04:38)
you
Morgan Wilhoite (04:58)
question. I think probably both. want to know the newest research on things that we've been doing already. So there's a lot of practices that are doing a lot of PGTA and a lot of new research that's coming out about that. So really the newer things that are coming out about practices that we've been doing for years. I want to be able to answer those questions with new research so I can answer them as up to date as I possibly can be. And
Also, just what's new in the field, what patients might be reading online or seeing on the internet, new cutting edge things. I've had a couple people already call in asking about IVM. So I think that there's definitely going to be some changes in the next year to two years, and I want to be on the front lines of that.
Griffin Jones (05:44)
What is new happening in the field? Eric, what are you paying attention to?
Eric Forman (05:48)
Yeah, I mean, I think, I mean, in terms of this meeting, I mean, I think sometimes what's new is what's old also. There's controversy still, like there's a lot of push towards automation and standardization and doing ICSI for all or doing, know, freeze all blastocyst culture, PGT, which I think are amazing advances that the majority of my patients benefit from.
But we have some really great kind of debates at this conference about whether that approach is optimal for everybody. Like, is there still a role for conventional IVF? Does everyone need ICSI? There are practices and networks that basically do 100 % ICSI, but there's more and more studies that come out that suggest that that may not be beneficial if there's not severe male factor. It may actually be detrimental or.
add cost. There's also, you know, move towards again more standardization, automation, you know, with the hope of expanding access to more, more people that could benefit from assisted reproductive technologies. But again, is, you are the outcomes going to be equivalent is too much standardization too much. So that's one area that I think, you know, I try to kind of think about.
know, individualizing care versus standardization. Another big area, I think across everywhere is AI, artificial intelligence. It's making its way into everything we do. In this field, a lot of the focus has been on embryo selection, but I think there's potentially a lot more than that. But we do also have a great speaker coming from the UK, Alison Campbell, about
the use of AI and how it may transform what we do in the IVF laboratory. But I think it'll be an interesting discussion even in the business mind section, how our practice is using AI because it's, as I said, it's really becoming pervasive and a lot of us are probably under using it.
Griffin Jones (07:59)
I'm gonna come back to how you keep things fresh and a little controversial because as you mentioned, some of the things are old and new again, debates that have been going on for a while and how do you keep it fresh? So that's not the same talk, but I'll come back to that. Gigi, what's on your radar?
GG (08:18)
Yeah, so a lot of what Eric was talking about, think, is really pertinent in the field right now. So AI is huge. And I know there has been a big push in the lab also to use AI. And one of the nice things about the MRSI is we have an embryology hands-on course. So I think it's easy enough to say, hey, let's automate.
what goes on in the lab, but I think a lot of people don't actually understand what is going on in the lab. So one of the nice things about MRSI is we give you the opportunity to come in on Wednesday and actually sit with embryologists, sit with the people that are working on actually different pieces of automation and learn how to do Ixie, how do you immobilize sperm and things that maybe not every REI has the ability to do.
other staff, right? It's open to anyone who attends MRSI, so anyone, nurses, residents, fellows, can come and learn what goes on in the lab to understand, you know, would AI be beneficial in this step or not, or what are the struggles that, you know, one might have.
Griffin Jones (09:28)
What about non-clinical
people, Gigi, like ops people? Because a lot of times they are making at least some of the decisions on what's being used in the clinic, in the lab, what's gonna be automated. They might not have a clinical background. Are they allowed to come to this embryology workshop?
GG (09:45)
They sure are. It's really open to anyone who wants to attend. We welcome any and all comers.
Griffin Jones (09:50)
For any of you that might have an answer to this, how do you keep some of these topics, especially those debates that have been going on for 8, 10, 12 years, how do you keep them fresh? Because I see kind of both sides. Sometimes I see it's like, that's the same talk. That talk was at SRM, that talk was at PCRS. And now it's been the same talk for the last four or five years. I'm kind of over it. And then on the other hand, I also feel like there are times where it's like, that talk's been going on for a while, but that's kind of a new take.
We've had the private equity in medicine talk for many years now, but you wouldn't have known that I feel like at last year's MRSI. think Richard Scott and David Stern are both on faculty. It was a little bit of a mix up. Richard Scott had been in private equity and now he isn't. so his views have changed. David Stern had a company that wasn't owned by private equity and now it was.
And so you had these differing views and it made it a really interesting talk. And I think it was a packed room and it was definitely a different kind of spin. So some of these other debates that have been happening, how do you keep it so that it isn't the same talk?
Eric Forman (10:57)
I think we have a great faculty and we have a great board. First, this conference is going to from June 4th to June 7th in Chicago at the Drake, the Midwest Reproductive Symposium. We try to get the best speakers really from around the world. It's an international meeting. Our program director is Scott Nelson, who's a professor.
GG (10:57)
Yeah, so, go ahead, go ahead, Eric.
Eric Forman (11:25)
Scotland who's world renowned and keeps up with the literature. And we meet long in advance to try to identify great speakers, great topics and want a fresh spin on things. We also really want these sessions to be interactive. We don't want just a text heavy, dense PowerPoint presentation with no time for Q &A. I mean, we try to push the speakers to
do shorter talks and leave a lot of time for discussion. We also have interactive sessions, workshops where Foster's at that networking and thinking about new ideas. So I think that's one of the aspects that makes this conference have its own unique flavor that has kept all of us going back and back for more. know Griffin, you've been going for a long time and helped kind of open up your career in this field.
I could tell you some of my own personal history as well, but a lot of it's really just, again, the speakers and the dynamic nature of this meeting. think Gigi also had some input on that.
GG (12:34)
Yeah, Griffin, that's a good point. mean, medicine is...
a pendulum, right? So I remember when I first got involved with MRSI, PGTA was a little bit newer. And I remember sitting in the audience, and there was a discussion about mosaic embryos. And the big takeaway was who in their right mind would ever transfer a mosaic embryo? That's bananas. And you fast forward, and we do it all the time now as we learn more and as we evolve as a field. And so I think, yes, sometimes it sounds like the topic
They're similar because this is what we do. But the sentiment, think, is ever-changing, which is what makes this field fun. I will be hosting the presidential debate this year, which is going to be where we debate IVF add-ons, so things like PGTA, ERA.
endometriosis, so kind of topics that don't have a right or wrong answer. And it'll be very interesting to hear either side of that debate and the pros and cons and how that pendulum changes as we get more data.
Morgan Wilhoite (13:36)
Yeah, I'll add to that. You Griffin, you asked how do we keep things new because it does seem like the same arguments or conversations rather over and over again. But I think that's what makes it really interesting is that every year, every conference, we have the same arguments and people get more passionate and passion tends to fuel the research. It fuels new advancements and really makes you kind of question what was done 10 years ago, five years ago. So I think
Dr. Forman hit the nail on the head when he said, what's old is new. And we do kind of keep the same conversations going, but people get more passionate. And that's why we have so much more research every year about kind of the same things.
Griffin Jones (14:17)
Is that from new people jumping into the framework? Is it people that have seen the debates for the last 10 years and maybe now they're out of fellowship for two years or they're in fellowship but they're working on research and they can contribute some way? Or is it the people that have been making the case for so long and they've been in a stalemate and they're trying to finally win this thing?
Morgan Wilhoite (14:36)
Probably a little bit of both. You know, there, I remember the conversation that you were alluding to last year at MRSI and people get really passionate about things that they believe strongly in from both sides. So I think there's new people in the mix that kind of refills that passion, but also people get passionate and opinionated about things that they truly believe.
Griffin Jones (14:57)
Gigi and Eric, why did you each decide to become part of this board, become part of the faculty?
Eric Forman (15:02)
Gigi, you wanna go first?
GG (15:03)
Sure, so again, I got involved in fellowship. The thing that I love about MRSI is it's a smaller conference. so you never feel like you're missing out on a lecture. You have access to those speakers. So if you have a question after a presentation, it's a small conference. So you're probably going to be in a small meeting with them later. You'll bump into them at a social event. The networking that I have done at MRSI is better than
to be honest, any of the other conferences I have been at because they do a great job again of breaking down a bigger population of people into a smaller group. so at different points along my career, I've hit different obstacles or things that I want to change. And I've reached out to some of the people that I've met at MRSI. And their wisdom is indefinite, right? Like you are using your resources, which is other docs, nurses,
people just in the field. So I really like it. I think it's a very valuable conference and I think the connections you make are wonderful.
Eric Forman (16:09)
Yeah, and I mean, I echo those. I think I've told a lot of people I've gone to, think, every MRS meeting since my first year of fellowship in 2011. My mentor, Richard Scott, who you referred to, used to speak every year, often does. He's back this year. But he was going to the meeting. I kind of tagged along and was amazed at the access. As a first year fellow, I was talking to these leaders.
in the field, you know, and then again, as Gigi said, having a cocktail and asking them more questions, going to a workshop and interacting. And I kept going back year after year, spoken before, fortunately got to know, know, Dr. Angie Beltzos, who this was a meeting that she started, you know, before any of us were in this field and really passionate about infusing that energy and enthusiasm. And again,
She, you know, took me under her wing and was one of my mentors. And, but through this meeting, I met so many other great people in this field as I thought of career changes or things that have come up in my practice. I have multiple people that I could reach out to because I'm comfortable. I've spoken to them in person. I think MRS may have been the first reproductive medicine meeting that came back in person.
After COVID, we did have a virtual meeting in 2020, but 2021, we pushed it back a few months, but did an in-person meeting, which was amazing. It was smaller, but still kept a lot of that same positive energy. then again, we've continued to expand and grow. while it's a smaller meeting, I mean, we still aim to try to have ideally around 500 people. There's vendors.
exhibitors that again also just you know interact with and you know people move around from different companies in this field and I've gotten to know people that again have been useful as things have come up in my practice. So I again I can't imagine again not not going to this meeting and I can't underestimate like all the opportunities that have come from it and great people that I've met and I think
Although you can get a lot, you know, virtually, I think really the being in this one hotel, having the same kind of social functions together, you really get to know people better than I think the larger meetings.
Griffin Jones (18:48)
I've gotten to meet so many people at MRSI. think that's where I met you the first time. Gigi in person is where I think I met Eric for the first time in person. Dozens of others, many of whom I might talk about later. MidCap Advisors was among them. And I think some of the folks from MidCap Advisors will be at MRSI this year. MidCap Advisors represent fertility practices and other fertility companies when they go to
sell their business and their advisors. do not take anything unless they help a practice or business to sell their business. They don't do a retainer and therefore they're very consultative. It might be Dr. Brijinder Minhas that's there. It might be their managing director Scott Yoder. It might be Richard Groberg who some of you know. But one of those folks will be at MRSI. And if you can't meet them there, look them up online. We'll have our
contact info to MidCap Advisors. If you want to talk to Robert Goodman, we will be able to have some of those emails. We'll have the link to that website, midcapadvisors.com. But I also think that's where I met them in person for the first time. many of you hear them on the show or you see their content that comes out on Inside Reproductive Health. You've seen them sponsor the list that happened, the practice owners list that hundreds of you have downloaded.
That all originally started, I believe, meeting them in person. Maybe I'd met them online prior. But I recall the first time that I met them was in person at MRSI. And that's happened over and over again at MRSI where I've met people maybe online at first. And then you have that good setting to actually have some intimate one-on-one time with them in person. And if you own a practice, if you own a fertility business,
If you're thinking about selling it within the next 10 years, but especially within the next 5 years, talk to MidCap Advisors, reach out to them online, meet with them at MRSI, schedule a time to talk. I'll include their contact info in the show notes in some other places. Or you can just ask me, reach out and I'll be happy to make that introduction. That's midcapadvisors.com. Gigi, how also is it just like...
the back setting of Chicago in June on Lake Michigan, right by the Oak Street beach. feel like it's just the perfect time to be there. If it was a couple weeks earlier or a couple weeks later, it wouldn't quite have that sweet spot. Talk about that little je ne sais quoi of being in Chicago at that time of year.
GG (21:23)
Yeah, it's a good thing we don't host it in December in Chicago. ⁓ I think it would just be the four of us there. Yeah, no, I mean, it's perfect, right? So not only do you get to come learn, you get to meet people, you get the benefit of all the knowledge of MRSI, but you can also, yeah, I mean, during a break, a lot of times I'll walk in, go to my favorite coffee shops, things like that.
Griffin Jones (21:26)
Yeah
Morgan Wilhoite (21:27)
No, it would go.
GG (21:45)
We do a lot of events, so we'll do usually either yoga or walk on the beach. So we try to incorporate Chicago as much as possible. The conference goes through Saturday afternoon. So after that, you have Saturday evening, Sunday if you bring your family, et cetera, to go explore the great city of Chicago. So it's usually pretty good weather at that point in Chicago, and there are just a ton of fun things to do if you have any...
ideas, I'm happy to help with that too.
Griffin Jones (22:17)
Are you each giving talks this year?
Morgan Wilhoite (22:19)
them.
Eric Forman (22:19)
you
Griffin Jones (22:20)
Gigi, what's your talk on?
GG (22:22)
Yeah, so I'll be hosting that presidential debate talking about the pros and cons of IVF add-on. So we'll have one side very pro the add-on and then one side that is against it. And then I am also giving a talk to the fellows. So we have a special fellows track at MRSI. So it's really nice that we'll have talks that are specifically just tailored to fellows. So again, I'll be talking about kind of things to look for when you're, you know, applying for jobs, getting a job.
and things to kind of think about within your contract with that as well.
Griffin Jones (22:53)
It's amazing to me how many practice owners will ask, well, how do I get these fellows to come work for me? Well, step one might be talking to them. It's not like there's a huge surplus either. So you're not the only one that has this idea. So maybe we start with just you actually getting to know them. And for some reason,
It seems like a daunting task to some people. The networks tend to have maybe a few key physicians that do some of the recruiting for them or they'll have a head of physician relations. And if any of those folks are listening, imagine they'll definitely be there, especially now. But especially for those practice owners or maybe even academic chiefs that want to get somebody to come work for them, you have to start
GG (23:18)
Ha
Griffin Jones (23:40)
building relationships with people. Because whether it's that person that you're building a relationship with, or maybe they have friends, you have to get into the network somewhere. You can't live in this solar system over here, and all of the fellows are over here. Otherwise, you're just going to just be hoping that your one job listing gets seen by the right person that just happens to want to go to your market. And if you don't have...
competition, you're hoping that they're from there because that's the only reason why they would move to a city that small. if you do have lots of competition, why would they choose you over their competition? You have to get to know people. As for as intimate as PCRS is, and I love PCRS, people should go there too. It's a great meeting. MRSI is even more intimate. It's even more of like... There's no barrier to just being able to sit down with people and talk to them and...
and go to Gigi's talks, go to a couple of those interactive workshops because the fellows are going to be in there. They're going to be asking questions. And you should be able to meet with them afterwards and start to build that relationship. And Eric, it sounded like you had an opinion on that.
Eric Forman (24:41)
Yeah, yeah. So in terms of my speaking, in addition to moderating like Gigi, I'm you know, facilitating a workshop with Emily Mounds from Juno Genetics on factors to consider when selecting a PGT lab. We did something similar last year and it's good for fellows and other, you know, doctors and embryologists what, you know, what things to look at, whether it's, you know, validation, accuracy, cost.
all kinds of issues like that. That's a kind of like topic that is typical for a workshop. But I think it's important, as Gigi said, unique aspect of this meeting is the different tracks, the fellow track, the nurse practicum track, the business minds, and now we even added an embryology track, and you can get CEU's credits that you may need for lab directorship. But specifically for the fellows, as you mentioned,
There are scholarship opportunities. We typically get around 50 abstracts and we have a nice poster session and a few are selected for oral presentations. So we encourage fellows and even residents to submit research and maybe get sponsored. And that's another area where those that are trying to hire fellows, there's opportunities to sponsor a fellow one, you know, one at a time or provide
a scholarship or sponsor an aspect of that program. One network this year is having a kind of more intimate like after party, after the fellow dinner on Thursday night. So there's a lot of opportunities we want access. We want them to get to meet people, you know, to open up their opportunities for future careers.
Griffin Jones (26:31)
Morgan, who are you hoping to network with?
Morgan Wilhoite (26:33)
Everyone, Griffin. No, I, as I said, I haven't signed my contract or have not reviewed all of them yet, but yes, I'm current second year. But I will echo kind of what you had said in the beginning. When you get approached by a practice early on in your fellowship, they kind of stay in the back of your head a little bit longer than,
Eric Forman (26:34)
Mm-hmm.
Griffin Jones (26:44)
in your second year.
Morgan Wilhoite (27:00)
the people that just send blanket emails out to all the fellows or utilize a listserv or send something out to like your program director to pass along or some faculty in the department. So I will agree with you in that sentiment that if people want to recruit fellows, it's kind of filling that cup up early, establishing that relationship early is what really gets people thinking about it. As far as the...
The job listings, I think that our fellows group chat is more of a job listing site than the actual ASRM job listings that come out because in every department around the country, people are saying, this practice is hiring or I had a really good experience interviewing with this practice. I'm not going here, but it sounds like it would be a great experience for someone else. So we do a lot of interaction with.
who's interviewed where and if it was a good experience. So I think word of mouth is definitely important too for those fellows recruitment efforts.
Griffin Jones (27:58)
We're gonna go down a little rabbit hole about the fellows group chat right now. Eric, Gigi, buckle in because we're talk about the often a WhatsApp thread or it may be an iMessage group. Or some groups will have like a Slack, some years will have a Slack channel or something like that. But every year always has one. And if you are trying to recruit fellows, you need to
Morgan Wilhoite (28:00)
Thanks
Griffin Jones (28:21)
build relationships that get you talked about in those threads and you need to do things that get talked about in those threads. So as a media company, I want to make sure that each year we're continuing to bring fellows into our audience. And I've got to do it every single year. We'll have people that, residents that find us and they'll find us before they ever even declare for a fellowship or apply for a fellowship. But
Every year, I've got to build the audience anew in that year because, Zorin and Meg and Victoria have all graduated and now they're two years out. I don't have that cohort in fellowship anymore. So how do I get more folks? We published a piece of content for fellows this year and I noticed a little... And it was for the purpose of refilling that pipeline. And...
I reached out to, I think I reached out to you Morgan, I reached out to somebody in first year and I reached out to somebody in third year. And I could see instantly that the fellows audience just went through the roof because they were interested in the thing that I had. And so I made something that was worthy enough of being talked about in the group messages. And I had the relationships in each of those years. I could literally see all, all the first years signing up, the second years, the third years. And so,
I think that's just such an important piece of what can happen. And most of those people I had either met at MRSI originally or I had met them through somebody else that I had met at MRSI. Keep that in mind if you're going to be on the board for next year, Morgan, the fellows group chat could be an entire talk. Maybe it could even be an entire track.
Morgan Wilhoite (29:58)
You
Griffin Jones (30:02)
I want to talk with each of you about what you think the future of meetings could be. I'm putting all of you on the spot a little bit, but it's not a rhetorical question because I don't know how it would work with the nature of how CMEs work. I see a new genre of meetings popping up that tend to be very small, maybe like 50, 100 or so people, very intimate, very exclusive, often at really expensive venues. so it's like they're
They cost a lot more and are even harder to get to than the traditional conferences. And then I also see at the traditional conferences, you know, I'm at PCRS this year and standing in the lobby bar and talking with somebody and we're looking at all of the meetings that are happening in the lobby area there. And the person said, why we all come here just for this. Why can't this just be the meeting? Why do we have to go all the way over here to this exhibit hall, do a couple of talks?
And so at these smaller meetings that are happening, they'll still have some talks, but they're much fewer. And so do you see the possibility for MRSI going that way in the future where it's like, okay, if we have however many talks we have now, what if we had a quarter of that or a third of that and built the rest of it around networking and kept our keynote events and that sort of thing? Do you think that's possible? Do you think that the nature of CME
demands that you have more courses? How do you see that going?
Eric Forman (31:27)
Hmm. Yeah. ⁓
Morgan Wilhoite (31:27)
I can start out.
I think
that some of the best conferences as you, as we all have talked about, ASRM is huge. I remember going every year in residency and I was very overwhelmed because you really can't network as a resident as easily as you can at MRSI with how small it is. But I remember the striking difference in meetings and there would be a lot that were a small room and you'd have one person start the conversation about a topic. And then the majority of the time would be kind of Q and A of discussion. And I thought that.
was a really valuable way to learn and absorb information from a group of people rather than sitting and watching a presentation. So, and I don't know if, you know, things are going more towards that way or if it's just not possible at a huge conference like ASRM, but I personally feel like those small rooms of networking maybe around a topic to really discuss is probably going to attract a lot of people.
Griffin Jones (32:25)
What do you think Eric, can that be done or do you have to offer so much to satisfy different CME requirements?
Eric Forman (32:32)
Yeah, no, it's a good question. I mean, think there's a lot more ways to get CMEs now with virtual online things that I don't, I think we don't have to necessarily satisfy everyone's requirements in a single meeting. And you can also get a lot at the big meetings like ASRM. I think it's interesting. mean, again, as everything in this world has gotten tighter with inflation and
expenses, meetings I think are having challenges as well. Like companies are not as generous as giving grants. mean, lot of companies are pulling back. So it's definitely been challenging, you know, and we have amazing team of coordinators at this meeting that is constantly like applying for grants and trying to get funding, but it's expensive to put on a big meeting and then to, you know, bring in speakers. So
a mix like that. I it might be essential from an economic standpoint as well. But I think the challenge would be getting the audience to buy in that, you know, I think people see certain speakers or talks or, you know, can kind of sell it to their practice that it's worth going. It might be a harder sell to say there's few talks and more networking, even though that's what a lot of people
are actually going for or get the most out of or take home. And so I think we try to like really incorporate like everything's included, which I've also liked, although Chicago, as Gigi said, is amazing. And it's a great time of year to be there. And we're right in a great location. I've been going to this meeting for like 14 years and I pretty much stay in the Drake and eat all my meals at the the meeting because I just I don't want to like miss anything or you know.
go out and then not network for a couple of hours. So it's nice that, again, the lunches are like working lunches. There's cocktails with food. mean, you can go out, obviously, but I think we try to thread that needle of having a lot of content, but also a lot of time for networking. But yeah, I mean, think I could see it going more in that direction.
Griffin Jones (34:49)
This idea of sending the team of investing in the team's education. Gigi, you've worked in private practice before. You've worked for small practices before. For some people think, well, sending my manager, that's a big investment for me, or sending my lead nurse, sending my only advanced practice provider, sending my only associate doc. Sometimes people think that's
too much of a burden for that person to be away from the practice or maybe that's an investment I'm not sure if I want to make. What makes it worth it for someone to send their team to a conference like this?
GG (35:27)
I I think, again, that's what sets MRSI apart. I I get that I'm biased, and I think every conference has its benefits. But one of the really nice things about MRSI is we do have learning opportunities for different types of staff, right? So we have the nurse practicum. So if you're nurses, you're meeting other nurses in the fertility field, right? So, you know, it's nice to go to a conference and hear the science behind why you do what you do, but your questions might be more...
Hey, I have a lot of patients who ask this question or, I don't know, you could mix all your IVF meds in one vial, know, things that you can learn from other nurses, for example, or from other managers. And what MRSI does very nicely is we have the big keynote speakers who everyone goes to, the data that everyone really needs, regardless of who you are in the clinic, but then you can also break out into smaller sessions and get that networking. You can get a very specific...
experience depending on what role you play in the fertility clinic. So, you know, kind of to answer your prior question as well, I think there's a lot of value in how MRSI actually structures it. It's not a crazy long conference, and so it's jam-packed full of great networking, great lectures, and then hands-on experiences as well.
Griffin Jones (36:45)
Tell us about some of the other speakers, some of the other talks coming up this year.
Eric Forman (36:49)
Yeah, have, so I mentioned that we have a debate on interventions and standardization with Kate Devine and Danny Sakas who are both experts and leaders in the field. We have Richard Scott, as I mentioned, who's giving a talk on financial aspects of building an IVF practice.
We have Serdar Bulun, who is the Midwest Reproductive Symposium. He's the chair of reproductive endocrinology at Northwestern, a world renowned expert on endometriosis, giving an update on endometriosis.
So those are some of the highlights that come to mind. You know, our website MRSImeeting.org has the agenda. You can look at both kind of the main program, the scientific program, and then there's the breakout sessions depending, you know, which
which area you fall into.
The speakers are introduced with music, they're stretching. It's like a lively, energetic, fun meeting that's different that I think we all look forward to. Dr. Beltzos made it that way from the beginning and continues to get better and better every year.
Griffin Jones (38:03)
When you're at MRSI, you might be able to meet with a number of people, including MidCap advisors. We'll include MidCap advisors contact information in the show notes of this episode. And I'll probably have an ad that comes out in the email and other places that distribute this podcast episode. But often they will send their directors or their advisors to MRSI. And that's where I got to meet them in
the first place and I got to meet many of the fertility clinic owners that have worked with MidCap Advisors in the past. MidCap Advisors is an advisory for practices and businesses as they sell their practice and they don't take a retainer. They are, they only get paid if you sell your business. So they go at a pace.
that works for you knowing that they've got to build the relationship. This isn't like just selling something turnkey. They are people that take the time to get to know you. They're very easygoing and they're very knowledgeable. They know about other things that are happening in the space and they can be a really good resource for other things that you'd want to know about managing your practice or managing your fertility business, even if you're not looking to sell in the next 10 years, but especially if you're looking to sell.
in the next five years. These are people that you want to talk to. You've seen them on the podcast before. You've seen other articles that we've created about them. And they'll almost certainly have somebody at MRSI. So find a time to meet with them at MRSI in Chicago in early June. Get in touch with them outside of that if you're not going to be there. You can ask me for an introduction. I'll be more than happy to make that. That's MidCap Advisors, midcapadvisors.com. Eric, you made a really good point about
the way Dr. Beltzost has built the meeting, think that her hospitality is injected into the DNA of the entire meeting. And it's a place where you feel kind of welcome. I think when you were alluding to earlier, Eric, is that that was the first fertility meeting I ever went to. I moved back to the United States on a early morning of a Saturday.
Early morning Monday, 7 a.m. Monday, started making cold calls. Found out about a practice that was going to MRSI. I had never heard of it. I didn't have any money at the time. Didn't own a car. Couldn't afford a flight. Rented a car, drove 10 hours to Chicago, slept in a hostel bedroom with 12 German dudes and stayed that night overnight. Went to the Business Minds program on a Thursday and then drove home because I couldn't even afford a second night. So I very much felt like...
I don't know anyone here. I'm way out of my league. And I met some people that I'm still friends with to this day. But I also met Angie and I met her when she's got hundreds of people to entertain and she's got dozens of people more important to talk to than me in that moment that are trying to get her attention. And she was interested in getting to know me. She was interested in me meeting other people. And so for
those that don't feel like, don't necessarily know somebody here. Hospitality is part of what that meeting is. Her fingerprints are all over it in that regard. And it's a place where I didn't feel like an outsider from the beginning. And I think that most people feel welcome as soon as they get there. The idea is that you are going to be able to talk to people that you don't know. And that's not just
accepted that's encouraged. so events have been added on to that over the years. Who can tell me about the CEO Summit this year?
Eric Forman (41:46)
you
GG (41:47)
Yeah, so this year we have a retired FBI agent who was one of the ones who spent a lot of time interviewing Saddam Hussein. So it will be very interesting to hear his take on leadership, communication, teamwork, all of the elements that he had to use to bring down Hussein. you mentioned that the CEO Summit every year we bring in a speaker who
is engaging, different. Sometimes it's part of the medical community who's higher up and has insight that we don't usually get. And sometimes it's just someone outside that we think would give valuable information for the fertility world. There's a lot of things that cross over in different business sectors.
Griffin Jones (42:31)
Morgan, you should have that guy with you as you bring in these different networks and practices to negotiate with you. Just have this FBI guy do it. But yeah, this is my counsel. He'll be fielding any and all questions today. What invite would you like to extend to people as they think, you know, maybe I could do this, maybe I could swing this. What invite would each of you like to extend to them and
GG (42:34)
you
Morgan Wilhoite (42:40)
My bodyguard.
GG (42:43)
Thank
Morgan Wilhoite (42:45)
you
Griffin Jones (42:57)
Also, would you extend an invite that they could reach out to you there? they could, at a minimum, they know one person that they can go up and talk to.
Morgan Wilhoite (43:07)
I can go first. Absolutely. I love MRSI. As I said, last year was my first year going and I didn't really know or didn't think I would know anybody there. And it ended up I made a lot of good connections and I never felt like not welcomed. As you said, Griffin, it was a really, really welcoming conference. And obviously being in Chicago at that time of year, getting away from the clinic was all just like perfect.
Eric Forman (43:07)
So.
Morgan Wilhoite (43:32)
I have since invited a lot of residents to go and submit abstracts. Abstracts are still being accepted and reviewed right now. We usually take the deadline out a little bit. So don't fret if there is something that you're close to being done with and you haven't finished it yet. There's still time to submit and register for the conference. But any residents that are listening, other fellows, I'm there. Happy to get coffee or lunch. So definitely.
invite to all trainees and obviously everybody else.
Eric Forman (44:03)
I would say also to like vendors that obviously we need you to help support the meeting, but I think there is a good ROI. Griffin, you could probably speak this language better than me, but they're really integrated in the meeting. I mean, if you want to be like they're welcome to the, you know, the poster session, the cocktails, like I've gotten to know a lot of people in the field who are vendors, like I said, who have switched to different companies, but
stay well connected to practices or networks. And I think, as you said with the fellows, you have to get there. Having a personal connection is really valuable. And although there may be fewer people than ASRM, it's not like you're in a hall that some people never really even get to all areas of. We kind of go through
the exhibits when we get our coffee and breaks, and again, even just the networking, interacting. It's not like there are separate events for the doctors or the embryologists. We're kind of all together. And I think that's again, what makes it special and unique.
GG (45:17)
Yeah, I would almost flip it and say there isn't anyone who I wouldn't extend an invitation and wouldn't want to come. I think there's value like we've talked about for just about everyone.
Eric Forman (45:21)
What's this?
GG (45:27)
I'm a very unintimidating person. So if you want to contact me, to reach out to me, to talk more about the conference or how to get involved, we also are always looking for new board members, fresh people to come in and give new insight into MRSI. So if you're more interested in getting involved on the back end of things, we would be more than welcome to chat with you about that. I also think if you are a newer attending, it is a great
conference to come learn about how other practices do things. You know how your fellowship does things and you now know how your current partners are, but that's a small group, right? So it's really nice to be able to come and say, hey, how do you guys do this? Or how do you handle this? Or how do you handle this experience? A couple years ago, I sat next to one of the people who gave me my oral board exam. And so it just breaks the field down. And, you know, it was fun to chat about that experience. And you realize we're all
in this together. We're here to help each other. So it's just, it's a great event. There isn't anyone who I don't think would enjoy it and learn from it.
Griffin Jones (46:32)
Made me think of a good tip for vendors, Eric, especially because MRSA did a really good job, especially last year of integrating the attendees and the exhibitors. It was right, you know, the happy hour, the coffee, it was happening right where the exhibitors are. So you're always right in front of somebody's booth if you're socializing. I would go.
a step beyond that too for those vendors and say, go to some of these interactive sessions. Sit down next to some of the people. You're allowed to do that at MRSI. It's not like some other events where, if you don't have this ribbon on your badge, you can't come into this talk or this. Go to some of the talks, go to the interactive sessions, sit down next to some of the people that you're trying to network with, ask questions.
And I've had an amazing ROI from MRSI over the years because I've done it that way. And I encourage anybody else that's going to be a vendor to do that too. I have a promo code. Don't use Eric's. Mine's better. G Jones9. I don't make anything from it, but I like MRSI. And so if you want a little percentage off of your admission to MRSI, use G Jones9. But more importantly, get to see Dr. Forman, get to see Dr. Collins, get to see
Dr. Morgan, Will Hoyt, convince her to come work for you. And you'll see yours truly there as well. Thank all three of you for coming on the Inside Reproductive Health Podcast.
Morgan Wilhoite (47:58)
Thanks for that.
GG (47:58)
Thanks for having us.
Eric Forman (47:58)
Thank you for having us. We can't wait to see you in Chicago in June. It's going to be a great meeting.
MSRi Registration:
Sign Up Here
