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Amy E. Sparks, PhD, HCLD

Director, In Vitro Fertilization and Reproductive Testing Laboratories

Current Positions

  • Director, In Vitro Fertilization and Reproductive Testing Laboratories
  • Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility

Education

  • BS in Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
  • MS in Dairy Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
  • PhD in Animal Sciences, Reproductive Physiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia

Research Interests

  • Cryopreservation
  • In vitro fertilization
  • Embryo culture

Licenses & Certifications

  • High Complexity Laboratory Director, American Board of Bioanalysis

Selected Publications

  • Bettermann M, Mejia R, Summers K, Sparks A. Live Birth Rate Outcomes Following a Change in Endometrial Preparation After a Failed Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle. Fertil Steril. 2025 May 21:S0015-0282(25)00445-5. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2025.05.157. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40403909. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028225004455?via%3Dihub
  • Singh P, Summers KM, Chanouha N, Thoeny R, Zorn A, Van Voorhis BJ, Sparks AE, Eapen A, Faro EZ, Pawlak SA, Duran EH. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Counseling and Educational Methods on Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Patients. Fertil Steril. 2025 Jun 14:S0015-0282(25)00511-4. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2025.06.010. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40523553. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028225005114?via%3Dihub
  • Mains, L., Ryan, G. L., Sparks, A. E. & VanVoorhis, B. J. (2009). Sextuplets: an unusual complication of single embryo transfer. (Vols. 91). (3), pp. 932.e1-2. Fertility and Sterility. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.09.021.
  • Friedman A, Welch BM, Keil AP, Bloom MS, Braun JM, Buckley JP, Dabelea D, Factor-Litvak P, Meeker JD, Michels KB, Padmanabhan V, Starling AP, Weinberg CR, Aalborg J, Alshawabkeh AN, Barrett ES, Binder AM, Bradman A, Bush NR, Calafat AM, Cantonwine DE, Christenbury KE, Cordero JF, Engel SM, Eskenazi B, Harley KG, Hauser R, Herbstman JB, Holland N, James-Todd T, Jukic AMZ, Lanphear BP, McElrath TF, Messerlian C, Newman RB, Nguyen RHN, O'Brien KM, Rauh VA, Redmon JB, Rich DQ, Rosen EM, Sathyanarayana S, Schmidt RJ, Sparks AE, Swan SH, Wang C, Watkins DJ, Weinberger B, Wenzel AG, Wilcox AJ, Yolton K, Zhang Y, Zota AR, Ferguson KK. Periods of susceptibility for associations between phthalate exposure and preterm birth: Results from a pooled analysis of 16 US cohorts. Environ Int. 2025 Apr;198:109392. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109392. Epub 2025 Mar 20. PMID: 40132438; PMCID: PMC12021553. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025001436?via%3Dihub
  • Iwamoto A, Summers KM, Sparks A, Mancuso AC. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection versus conventional in vitro fertilization in unexplained infertility. F S Rep. 2024 Jun 19;5(3):263-271. doi: 10.1016/j.xfre.2024.06.003. PMID: 39381653; PMCID: PMC11456666.
  • Sparks A.E.T. (2024).  Disposition of Cryopreserved Gametes and Embryos. In Nagy, ZP, Varghese, AC, & Agarwal, A. (Eds.) Cryopreservation in assisted reproduction: A practitioner’s guide to methods, management and organization. Switzerland, Springer Nature. Author
  • Sparks, A. E. (2023). Processing surgically retrieved sperm in the IVF laboratory. In Montag, M. & Morbeck, D. (Eds.) Principles of IVF Laboratory Practice: Optimizing Performance and Outcomes. pp. 114-120. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Welch BM, Keil AP, Buckley JP, Engel SM, James-Todd T, Zota AR, Alshawabkeh AN, Barrett ES, Bloom MS, Bush NR, Cordero JF, Dabelea D, Eskenazi B, Lanphear BP, Padmanabhan V, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Aalborg J, Baird DD, Binder AM, Bradman A, Braun JM, Calafat AM, Cantonwine DE, Christenbury KE, Factor-Litvak P, Harley KG, Hauser R, Herbstman JB, Hertz-Picciotto I, Holland N, Jukic AMZ, McElrath TF, Meeker JD, Messerlian C, Michels KB, Newman RB, Nguyen RHN, O'Brien KM, Rauh VA, Redmon B, Rich DQ, Rosen EM, Schmidt RJ, Sparks AE, Starling AP, Wang C, Watkins DJ, Weinberg CR, Weinberger B, Wenzel AG, Wilcox AJ, Yolton K, Zhang Y, Ferguson KK. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Phthalate Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Pooled Study of Sixteen U.S. Cohorts. Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Dec;131(12):127015. doi: 10.1289/EHP12831. Epub 2023 Dec 20. PMID: 38117586. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP12831
  • Eapen A, Summers K, Matteson C, Raff MR, Ten Eyck P, Sparks AET, Duran EH. Association between duration of controlled stimulation and live birth rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: a SART CORS analysis.  Proc Obstet Gynecol. 2022;11(2):Article 3[26 p].
  • Meyer JD, Brazil C, Redmon JB, Wang C, Sparks AE, Swan SH. Occupation and Semen Parameters in a Cohort of Fertile Men. J Occup Environ Med. 2022 Oct 1;64(10):831-838. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002607. Epub 2022 Jul 19. PMID: 35902368; PMCID: PMC952978. https://journals.lww.com/joem/Fulltext/9900/Occupation_and_Semen_Parameters_in_a_Cohort_of.92.aspx