Meet Our Fellows

Brindha Bavan, MD has been part of the Stanford community since 2006. As a Human Biology major, she focused her undergraduate studies on women’s reproductive health and biotechnology, completed a global women’s health program as a visiting student at Oxford, and implemented a sexual education curriculum for women’s shelters in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Her senior honors thesis under the guidance of Dr. Valerie Baker surveyed university students’ attitudes toward egg freezing for fertility preservation (experimental at the time) and earned her the 2010 Sandy Dornbusch Award for Excellence in Research Related to Families & Children. 

Dr. Bavan then worked as a clinical research coordinator for the Stanford Department of Radiation Oncology before starting medical school, helping to run clinical trials related to head & neck as well as gynecologic cancers. As a Stanford medical student, Dr. Bavan enjoyed leading the Arbor Free Clinic women’s health division and working as a teaching assistant for the Practice of Medicine clinical skills course. She was also elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society before graduating in 2015. Her research with Dr. Lynn Westphal during medical school investigated stress relief techniques for patients undergoing IVF.

During Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Stanford, Dr. Bavan was recognized with the Julianne O’Callahan Award for Compassionate Patient Care and Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award. She worked as an AOA Honor Society medical student mentor, achieved robotic surgery certification, and volunteered as a medical advisor to a Stanford GSB fertility start-up as well as a menstrual health awareness non-profit. Before completing her residency training in 2019, she also had the opportunity to work with Health Volunteers Overseas during a global health elective in Kampot, Cambodia.

Now as a fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Stanford, Dr. Bavan’s research interests include cost-effectiveness analysis of ART, clinical predictors of IVF cycle outcomes, and sociocultural impacts of fertility treatment. With the mentorship of Dr. Ruth Lathi and Dr. Ruben Alvero, she was the recipient of the 2020 Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute Master Tuition Program Grant and will be completing a Master Degree in Epidemiology and Clinical Research during her fellowship training.

“The Stanford REI team is truly committed to the success and well-being of fellows. We are fortunate to be surrounded by compassionate women’s healthcare providers, innovative research, cutting-edge technologies, and opportunities for collaboration throughout our campus and the Bay Area at large.”

Brent Monseur, MD, ScM, trained as a reproductive biologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health completing his Master of Science degree while investigating molecular mechanisms behind the egg’s membrane block to polyspermy.  He received his medical doctorate from the Medical College of Virginia after completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish at the University of Mary Washington. 

As an OBGYN resident at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, he was awarded with the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Award in recognition of excellence in obstetrics. His commitment to research was exemplified by completing several original research projects resulting in the prestigious Luigi Mastroianni Award from the Philadelphia Area Reproductive Endocrine Society, the S. Leon Israel Award from the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia, and the Excellence in Training Award from the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society. He has published several peer-reviewed articles in the fields of genetics, assisted reproductive technologies, and reproductive physiology in journals such as Fertility & Sterility, the Journal of Assisted Reproduction & Genetics, Molecular Reproduction & Development, and Obstetrics & Gynecology. 

Dr. Monseur has a unique interest in fertility preservation of astronauts and completed a clerkship in aerospace medicine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He is passionate about reproductive justice and improving fertility outcomes for LGBTQ patients having served as a board member emeritus of Medical Students for Choice and the Family Equality Council. He has presented abstracts at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society, and the Aerospace Medicine Association.

I am thrilled to be joining the Fertility and Reproductive Health Services team at Stanford Medicine.  The fellows have access to a world-class teaching hospital and full service research university located in Silicon Valley--a global center for medical entrepreneurship and technological innovation. I am eager to take advantage of the comprehensive training and unique opportunities to become a physician leader in the field of reproductive endocrinology.

Michael Strug, DO, PhD, has a longstanding passion for research within the field of reproductive biology, specifically as it pertains to uterine function and embryo implantation. His research career began as an undergraduate at Rutgers University studying physiologic mechanisms of neonatal exposure to lactocrine-derived hormones and development of reproductive and non-reproductive tissues in animal models. Following his undergraduate training, Dr. Strug gained an appreciation for Reproductive Medicine as a clinical andrology laboratory technician, prompting his pursuit of a career in academic clinical medicine. He completed a medical scientist training program at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and continued at Michigan State University/Spectrum Health for the completion of medical residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

For his dissertation research project, Dr. Strug studied the role of the Notch signaling pathway transcription factor RBP-Jk during the establishment of pregnancy through generation of a genetic knock-out mouse model. He determined the importance of Notch signaling during the establishment of pregnancy, repair of the postpartum uterus and, ultimately, correlated his findings of dysfunctional uterine repair clinically in women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss. He was awarded a prestigious NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) F30 fellowship grant for completion of his research. Dr. Strug has been involved in several other clinical and translational projects studying mechanisms of endometriosis pathogenesis and its impact on fertility, along with understanding the effect of exogenous intrauterine hCG infusion on endometrial receptivity. He has presented his work at local and national meetings with receipt of research awards including the Society for Reproductive Investigation Pfizer President’s Presenter’s Award and was a finalist for the Society for the Study of Reproduction Trainee Research Award. He has published his findings in reputable journals including the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Human Reproduction, and Reproductive Sciences. Lastly, he is dedicated to career development of trainees interested in Reproductive Medicine and has served on the Society for Reproductive Investigation In-Training Committee since 2017.

 I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to work with the Stanford REI team. Their multi-disciplinary approach to both patient care and research is inspiring. I am confident this innovative and team-based environment will provide for an exceptional training experience.

Edward Nguyen, MD, PhD attended the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated with honors with degrees in both Psychology and Zoology – Biomedical Sciences. He continued at the University of Oklahoma in the medical scientist training program, where he earned both his PhD in Cell Biology and his MD degree. This is when he first became involved in the world reproductive biology. His dissertation project was the first to identify and characterize a novel protein found only within the acrosome of sperm, sperm acrosome associated protein 7 (SPACA7). He discovered that SPACA7 is involved in the breakdown of the cumulus oophorus, facilitating fertilization.

Dr. Nguyen then attended the University of Iowa for residency. This is where he developed a passion for teaching, earning the Resident Teacher of the Year award twice. He also continued his research in the field of REI with publications in Fertility & Sterility and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction & Genetics. 

Following residency, Dr. Nguyen went to the University of Washington for a fellowship in minimally invasive and advanced pelvic surgery. He closely worked with a combination of benign gynecologists, gynecology oncologists, and REI specialists to perform a multitude of surgeries. For reproductive surgeries, he gained additional experience performing myomectomies from all surgical approaches, advanced hysteroscopy, surgical treatment of advanced endometriosis, ovarian transposition, and tubal reanastomosis.

 Having the opportunity to train in the Stanford REI fellowship has been a dream come true. The fellows have access to state-of-the-art technologies and facilities, multiple research opportunities, and any resource you could imagine. Not only are the faculty members leaders in the field, but they are also dedicated to the fellows’ education and well-being. The entire division has welcomed me with open arms.

Esther H. Chung, MD, will join the Stanford University Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship program in August 2022. She is a graduate of Harvard College, where she concentrated and received highest honors in the field of Neurobiology. It was there she first ventured into the world of innovative startups as a founding member of SPOUTS of Water, Ltd., building the first self-sustainable local ceramic filter factory in Uganda. Following this, she obtained her medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 2018, where she completed her sub-internship in REI at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and found her niche in the field of infertility. She completed her Obstetrics & Gynecology residency training at Duke University and has since returned to California to join the team at Stanford Fertility.  

During her residency training, Dr. Chung served as an Administrative Chief Resident for Wellness and was recognized for her Excellence in Teaching of medical and PA students. She was awarded the Hammond Research Day Award for her scientific research and has been published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Fertility & Sterility, JARG, Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, AJOG, among others. She has presented several orals and posters at the ASRM Scientific Congress and the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society. She also received The Suheil & Lisa Muasher Award for Excellence in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility.

Alongside her medical training, Dr. Chung serves on the Advisory Board as a consultant for a fertility health care startup based in Boston, MA with the goal of delivering virtual comprehensive fertility testing at home. She has a strong, long-standing interest in increasing access to fertility services and infertility treatment in the United States and hopes to continue to work with FemTech fertility-focused startups to achieve this goal. Her other REI-related interests lie in oncofertility and fertility preservation, machine-learning/big data, cost-effectiveness research, and patient education via social media.

I am beyond grateful and excited to join the team at Stanford Fertility. The field of REI is young, full of innovation, and growing quickly--there is no better place to train than at the heart of Silicon Valley at a leading center for excellence for reproductive healthcare and research. The kindness, diversity, open-mindedness, and expertise of the team of providers at Stanford set the groundwork for the delivery of compassionate, high quality care for the patients we serve in the Bay area.