This week, we sit down with Alice Rhoton-Vlasak, MD and Lauren Staley, ARNP to discuss fertility preservation in oncology patients.
Alice Rhoton-Vlasak, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained reproductive endocrinologist and a professor at the University of Florida Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology working in the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Many of her clinical efforts have focused on fertility and fertility preservation in cancer patients. She started a program called the UF Health HOPE network. This program has three prongs, including research, clinical, and education for all healthcare providers to become familiar with fertility preservation services.
Lauren has worked at the University of Florida in the Division of Pediatric Oncology since 2011, serving as the Pediatric Solid Tumor Coordinator. She completed training through the NIH-funded ENRICH (Educating Nurses about Reproductive Issues in Cancer Healthcare) program. In 2019, Lauren joined the UF Health Reproductive Endocrinology group in the role of Oncofertility
Navigator. Through this initiative, Lauren provides fertility preservation counseling for patients facing a new cancer diagnosis.