Dr John Waterstone MD MSc MRCOG CCST

Medical Director, Cork Fertility 

A graduate of both the Science Faculty (Genetics) and Medical School of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Waterstone's career began at the Rotunda Hospital Dublin. He trained in Obstetrics and Gynaecology before continuing his training at teaching hospitals in London. His interest in Reproductive Medicine developed at the Hammersmith where he developed his interest in subfertility while working with Professor Robert Winston. A research fellowship at the Assisted Conception Unit, Kings College Hospital then followed. Today, in addition to leading one of Ireland's leading Assisted Conception Units, he continues to practice as a Consultant in Obstetrics at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) - one of the largest maternity hospitals in Ireland. He also has a gynaecology commitment at the Bon Secours Hospital Cork.

Dr Waterstone established Cork Fertility in 2002 in order to provide an assisted reproduction service for patients in the South of Ireland. The Centre has expanded and developed over the years and is at the forefront of new developments in the field of Assisted Reproduction. It pioneered routine blastocyst culture in Ireland, paving the way for elective single embryo transfer; these advances have made it possible to reduce the incidence of IVF twin pregnancies without compromising the unit's excellent success rates. More recently Dr Waterstone has led the introduction of vitrification for embryo cryopreservation, a process that improves the viability of frozen embryos. In June 2014, he and his scientific team achieved the first birth in an Irish clinic following Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) which marked an important milestone for Irish reproductive medicine.

Dr Waterstone is involved with undergraduate and post graduate medical education at CUMH and also gives regular lectures in the UCC School of Pharmacy. Currently President of the Irish Fertility Society, Dr Waterstone is committed to leading change in Reproductive Medicine in Ireland.