Kara Goldman, M.D., is both a clinician and a fertility health pioneer, conducting trail-breaking research on reproductive longevity while training the next generation of physicians and scientists as a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Director of Fertility Preservation at Northwestern University.
An early career focus in women’s health and oncology led Goldman to an interest in preserving fertility and ovarian function in women with cancer. Her research centers on finding a pharmacological option to preserve fertility and prolong ovarian function in women – both during cancer treatment and in those facing physiologic ovarian aging. Ovaries play a key role in reproductive health and longevity as all women, at some point, eventually lose ovarian function resulting in systemic health consequences. “Ovarian function is critical to healthy aging for most women, and prolonging the function of the ovary would have significant implications for improving health span and potentially lifespan,” she says.
Part of her grant-funded research on the mTOR protein is centered on slowing down this pathway through inhibitors, including rapamycin and other rapalogs, immunosuppressants which transplant patients take to avoid rejecting donor organs. Her early findings found that female mice facing accelerated ovarian aging from chemotherapy and those facing physiologic ovarian aging were protected by the use of mTOR inhibitors, with larger litters even in older mice with mTOR inhibited. Her work in this area led to a landmark publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and earned her the Scientific Program Prize Paper and the Fertility Preservation Prize Paper from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), of which Goldman is the past chair of its Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group.
A double board-certified Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility physician at Northwestern University, Goldman brings breadth and depth of expertise across the full spectrum of ovarian function, from the peri-pubertal years through menopause, with clinical insight that drives research into the connections between ovarian and systemic health.
Goldman is a sought after expert in fertility and reproductive health for media outlets including The Today Show, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio, is widely published in high-impact journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Oncology, and PNAS, and serves as a reviewer and editorial board member to advance the rigor of scientific publishing within her field. She is a nationally and internationally recognized leader within reproductive science and medicine and contributes her expertise to clinical and scientific advisory boards.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Goldman to our DOC 2025 Faculty. We are excited to hear more from her at DOC 2025.