Get to know Dr Herman Tournaye, one of the invited speakers to the upcoming 16th NYRA Meeting in Brussels (May 27th-29th), through this interview.
Prof. Tournaye is the Medical and Scientific Director of Brussels IVF and a Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His research focuses on spermatogenesis and testicular stem cells.
When and why did you decide to work in the field of reproductive biology?
In 1985 I did an observership as a medical student with Prof Schoysman, an IVF pioneer in Brussels and realized that reproductive biology was the perfect fit as I missed “biology” is my medical training.
Could you name a moment of failure (and which lesson did you learn from it)?
Divorce – lesson learned: never put your career before your family.
What was the greatest success in your career?
The serendipitous finding that quite some azoospermic men with primary testicular failure still have limited active spermatogenesis and can father their genetically-own children.
Which advice would you give to young researchers?
Do not miss the serendipities on your career path!