Olive Fertility Centre is proud to announce that Olive medical director Dr. Jason Hitkari has received the UBC 2014-2015 Post Graduate Teaching Award on behalf of the Department of Family Practice.
“This award is a real honour,” says Dr Hitkari. “Reproductive Endocrinology is a very exciting field to be practicing in. The technology is changing so rapidly and we are also developing new models of patient-centred care that focuses on empowering patients to be partners in their own treatment. As a practicing fertility doctor and educator, I am delighted to have the opportunity to share my experience and insight into fertility treatment with this talented group of future physicians.”
Dr. Hitkari is currently extremely involved in medical student education in reproduction and infertility at UBC. He also coordinates the Reproduction Seminars for the Obstetrics and Gynecology resident physicians and lectures extensively throughout BC to family practitioners, family practice residents, allied health professionals, and gynecologists.
“I can’t think of anyone who deserves this award more the Dr Hitkari,” says Dr Beth Taylor, co-founder and co-director of Olive Fertility. “This award recognizes what we already know about Dr. Hitkari: that he is a smart, kind, and gifted communicator and doctor. We all feel really lucky to work with him. “
After completing his training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia, Dr Hitkari went on to do a formal fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He then returned to Vancouver, where he joined Genesis Fertility Centre as a co-director. In 2013, Dr Hitkari opened Olive Fertility Centre with Dr Taylor and Dr Yuzpe.
“At Olive Fertility Centre we are constantly searching for ways to improve pregnancy success rates while maintaining the health of the mother and baby,” says Dr Hitkari. “We are excited about some breakthrough technologies such as Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (a procedure that involves screening the embryos for any chromosomal abnormalities and then choosing the healthiest embryo to put back into the mother’s uterus), which are allowing us to determine with much greater accuracy which embryos in IVF have the normal number of chromosomes and are the most likely to result in a successful pregnancy.”
With the increased success rate that these technologies provide, couples will potentially need to undergo fewer IVF cycles in order to have a successful pregnancy. “This can help alleviate the financial and emotional stress that many patients experience with infertility,” says Dr Hitkari.
