A catalyst for change in reproductive science: John D. Biggers as a mentor’s mentor

Abstract

As we have done in the past, recognizing the true founders of reproductive medicine as we know it today is both an honor and responsibility that we provide to the JARG readership. In this issue of JARG, we take pride in honoring the lifelong achievements of Professor John D. Biggers on the occasion of his 90th birthday. For us personally, and for the many trainees and colleagues who have so generously contributed to this issue, assembling an appropriate tribute for Professor Biggers is a humbling task to say the least. Consider for example the wide-ranging career accomplishments that encompass, from the very beginning, over 60 years of a tireless, critical, and collegial unselfish commitment to so many that have conspired to make reproductive biology and medicine a prominent discipline in biomedical research today. We recognize him for the significance of his contributions to reproductive biology and medicine through the lens of a subset of scientists who have graciously made the following contributions. Hardly can a single journal issue or ASRM symposium achieve a thorough and balanced accounting of the ground-breaking and persistent influences Professor Biggers has had on so many. With this backdrop, we hope the JARG readership will appreciate our humble efforts at producing a glimpse of Professor Biggers’ career from which a sense of the compleat scientist will emerge. His accomplishments at the bench are far outweighed by the lasting legacy that lives on in his mentees and by his singular efforts to bring a scholarly interpretation of the evolution of ARTs to his peers, the public, and lawmakers [1]. In fact, it is fair to say that few amongst us can claim to have made inroads into the debates surrounding IVF, embryo culture, gamete and embryo preservation and cloning to the benefit of the scientific community as a whole and society more broadly. Intent is one thing-implementation quite another! What follows is fitting testimony to his career accomplishments and impacts built from personal recollections of his colleagues and friends. Next, several papers are contributed from collaborators are complemented by a series of original papers dealing with a range of topics for which he is known and that bear directly on the purview of JARG. Biggers is well-known for his travels around the world as a representative for the World Health Organization and as an invited speaker at meetings that cross many scientific disciplines. A partial list of his role in the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) includes Founding Member of SSR, 1967 (Figs. 1, ​,22 and ​and33) Fig. 1 Copy of certificate noting John D Biggers, DSc, PhD as charter member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (1967, SSR); Biggers also served as President of SSR 1968–69, Editor-In-Chief of the Societies’ journal Biology of Reproduction ... Fig. 2 Letter received from Dr Howard W. Johnson, Jr, MD recognizing Professor Biggers on the occasion of his 90th birthday Fig. 3 Newspaper article originally published November 1, 1979 in The Ledger-Star titled “Both sides swap barbs over test-tube babies.” This article represents one of the many times Biggers expert opinion was solicited from the media during the ... SSR President, 1968–69 Editor-in-Chief, Biology of Reproduction, 1970–1974 Carl G. Hartman Award Recipient, 1986 Fitting then that we recognize his accomplishments, which cover a span of 60 years, in this special issue of JARG given the influence Biggers’ has had on the discourse, basic science discoveries, and clinical impact of his contributions to the field of human ARTs. Congratulations John and thank you for enriching so many lives!