People: Nancy Reame

 Infertility has a very frustrating health problem for many couples. But now, they can look forward to a major project headed by Nancy (King) Reame, '69, director of the National Center for Infertility Research at the University of Michigan.

On the heels of a $5 million federal grant, Reame is seeking to find the most complete explanation ever of how the reproductive cycle works. 'There has been an explosion of new knowledge in the field, thanks to advances in molecular biology,' Reame notes. 'But there haven't been many innovations in treatment.'

She explains that traditional methods, such as drugs and surgical manipulation, are both costly and have a low chance of success (below 25 percent). 'It's like a shotgun approach,' she describes.

Instead, with new knowledge in how hormones send messages to the ovaries, she hopes to find better and safer procedures, such as using a hormonal pump that has worked well in the treatment of diabetes. She has several world-class scientists attached to the center, including MSU animal scientist Jim Ireland. Nancy studied nursing at MSU and raves about her experience. 'One of my first teachers, Barbara Given, is now a dean,' she recalls. 'She's a wonderful teacher.'

After marrying fellow MSU student Ron, Barbara worked for Pan American World Airways as a flight attendant and took advantage of their 'Mini-Fly' program, where she could attend school while working Christmas and holidays. She earned her master's and Ph.D. in maternity nursing and physiology at Wayne State, and then in 1980 became a tenured professor at U-M. In 1991, when colleague Rees Midgley asked her to head the center, she jumped at the opportunity.

She compares her field to that of an orchestra: The master hormone is like a conductor, directing several different sections. Eventually, it all comes together as a song.' And she hopes her team will be the first to hear the full symphony.