Leading Australia's Fertility Research, to help everyone experience the joy of family
About Prof Roger Hart
Professor Roger Hart is the Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of WA and National Medical Director of City Fertility.
He is also Professor of Reproductive Medicine and the Deputy Head of the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Western Australia.
Professor Roger Hart
MB BS, MD, FRCOG, FRANZCOG, CREI
Get to know Prof Hart
In addition to his roles as medical director at Fertility Specialists of WA and Professor of Reproductive Medicine at UWA, Prof Hart is also the head of the reproductive medicine service at King Edward Memorial Hospital. He is responsible for the provision of public fertility services across Western Australia. Prof Hart is an internationally recognised expert in the fields of infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Despite his diverse roles, with the support of his excellent team of nurses, embryologists and reception staff, he is able to offer a highly personalised service to his patients. Professor Hart is passionate about ensuring appropriate advice, investigations and treatment is offered when and where required. He is a strong advocate of ‘being healthy for pregnancy’, an adage he applies to both men and women. He believes time invested in being healthy will not only make conception easier, it will make the pregnancy more successful and impart better health outcomes for the baby.
Professor Hart has an extensive research track record, in male reproductive health, and he will often commence treating the male partner before he treats the female. He is a strong supporter of all fertility treatments, particularly ovulation induction, a program he is particularly proud of. His unit’s success rates have been presented at national meetings. Approximately 60% of his patients conceive without the requirement for IVF treatment. However, when IVF is required, an individualised approach will be prescribed.
"Getting healthy for pregnancy"
There is preliminary data to suggest that exposures to plastics and environmental pollutants can have negative impacts on the egg and the sperm.
Curriculum Vitae
Professor Roger Hart graduated from medical school in the UK in 1989. During his obstetrics and gynaecology training he completed a 2½ year fellowship in gynaecological endoscopic surgery (and was awarded his doctorate of medicine MD), a 1½ year fellowship in reproductive medicine, then went on to undertake sub-specialty training in reproductive medicine and surgery. He graduated from his UK training in 2002.
In 2003 he was appointed senior lecturer in gynaecology at the University of Western Australia as he developed his academic career. He then went on to complete his Australian certification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (CREI) in 2007, the same year he was appointed Professor of Reproductive Medicine at UWA.
He is one of only 2 specialists to have completed the examination process in both the UK and Australia. He then went on to establish a training program for CREI in WA, and is delighted that there have been two successful graduates from his program.
He is now the Chair of the CREI training programme across Australia and New Zealand ensuring the next generation of infertility doctors are well trained to offer the best advice, investigations and treatments to our patients.
Another area where Professor Roger Hart has provided leadership within WA, is advocacy for patients with a cancer diagnosis. He believes a person with a cancer diagnosis should at least be given the opportunity to discuss the implications of their treatment with an expert in the field, and potentially offered treatment if appropriate.
Professor Hart is a recognised international leader in the field of infertility and particularly in PCOS where the programs at FSWA of ovulation induction and in vitro maturation of oocytes (IVM) are recognised as world leading. He has published extensively in scientific literature in these fields.
Professor Roger Hart is also a prolific researcher, having published over 200 papers in the fields of infertility, IVF, PCOS, IVM and endometriosis. He has a particular interest in the longer term outcome of IVF on the woman and the child, and the early life origins of male and female reproductive disorders. He is the recipient of three National Health and Medical Research Council grants, and has recently submitted a further five year grant to study the associations of male and female reproductive disorders, using the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study where he is a lead researcher in the field of reproductive medicine.
In addition to his research career Professor Hart:
- Is on the scientific organising committee of several national infertility meetings,
- Is a member of Clinical Oncological Society of Australia Guideline development group for fertility preservation,
- Was part of the international PCOS guideline development group that was published in 2018,
- Is chair of the Australian Gynaecology Endoscopy and Surgery society research committee,
- Is a member of the Western Australian Reproductive Technology Council and
- Past deputy chair of the Bethesda Medical Advisory Committee.