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CV Dr. HB - Croxatto - English March 2008
CV Dr. HB - Croxatto - English March 2008
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
1966 - 1967 The Population Council Fellowship for research in Reproductive Endocrinology.
Dr. Sheldon J. Segal, Rockefeller University, New York.
CURRENT POSITIONS
AWARDS
PAST POSITIONS
SOCIETIES MEMBERSHIP
RESEARCH INTEREST
Basic and applied aspects of reproductive physiology and fertility regulation with emphasis in
physiology of gametes within the female genital tract, lactational infertility, contraceptive
delivery systems and mode of action of contraceptive methods.
GRANTS
Recipient of grants awarded by The Population Council, IDRC Canada, HRP-WHO, The
Rockefeller Foundation, The Ford Foundation, CONRAD, FHI, CONICYT, Ernst Schering
Research Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The William and Flora Hewlet
Foundation.
THESIS ADVISOR
Dr Croxatto designed and directed two major training programs in reproductive biology and
reproductive health. The first, known as “Research Training Program on Fundamental and
Applied Aspects of Reproductive Biology” (R.F. 83016), was funded by The Rockeffeller
Foundation from 1988 until 2001.
This program was aimed at Latinamerican graduate and postgraduate students who were
interested in pursuing advanced research training in different aspects of Reproductive Biology.
Young professionals of the region were mentored to become independent scientists, able to
progress in the identification and understanding of problems related to Human Reproduction and
able to propose solutions based on scientific discovery. Advanced learning experiencies in
scientific literature reviewing, experimental design, experimental techniques, data analysis and
presentation, scientific writing and how to prepare research projects and grant applications were
provided. The core of the Program was full time dedication to a research project under the
guidance of a senior investigator at a training site selected by the trainee. It was hosted by the
Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Catholic
University of Chile. Senior scientists of the State University of Chile, the University of Valdivia
and the Chilean Institute for Reproductive Medicine were also members of the staff. More than
50 fellows were trained under this program.
The second, named “Building Up Human Resources for Reproductive Health in Latin
America”, known in short as PROGRESAR, was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation from 2001 until 2003.
This program was designed to accelerate regional progress in reproductive health by fostering
the generation of knowledge, its dissemination and application, and by involving in this effort all
constituencies of society. It offered training opportunities to staff of such diverse institutions as
NGOs, universities, government bodies and community leaders committed to research,
education, service, field work, policy or decision making, in reproductive health. Fellow trainees
were supported by the program to pursue professional titles, degrees or further training in
regional centers of excellence, in any discipline that could strengthen the capacity of their
institutions to have a positive impact on reproductive health and to gain long term sustainability.
From all over Latin America and the Caribbean 264 individual applications were approved. Due
to the multidisciplinary approach of this program, it reached professionals with a wide range of
backgrounds, such as Physicians, Nurses, Midwives, Biologist and Biochemists, Psychologists,
Sociologists, Technicians, Social Workers, etc. Southern Cone countries concentrated more than
78% of the training activities, with Chile accounting for nearly 60% of them. This program
offered co-funding support to centers of excellence towards the realization of training activities
carried out in the region. Out of 186 institutional applications received, 85 were approved.
Through this co-funding modality of support, more than 5,000 professionals were trained.
Dissemination of research activities undertaken with PROGRESAR support resulted in 86
presentations at scientific meetings, 38 journal publications and 5 book chapters.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In the late sixties, Dr Croxatto developed the Laboratory of Endocrinology within de Department
of Physiology of the School of Medicine of the Catholic University, which later on became the
Unit of Reproduction and Development of the Faculty of Biological Sciences when this Faculty
was established in the same university. This unit was nominated Collaborative Research Center
for the Human Reproduction Program of WHO. A New World monkey colony housing hundred
Capuchin monkeys was established in the premises to conduct fundamental research in
reproductive biology. Reseach and training using this facility has yielded over 15 full
publications since its inception in the late eighties.
Dr Croxatto co-founded the Chilean Institute for Reproductive Medicine in 1985 and ever since
has been its president and director of biomedical research. This Institute is devoted to research
and development, training, health care and dissemination of information in reproductive and
sexual health. It has played a fundamental role in the development of contraceptive implants and
vaginal rings and in disclosing the mechanism of action of IUDs and hormonal emergency
contraception. No less important it has influenced the course of reproductive health policies of
the Ministry of Health of Chile by helping to reformulate the guidelines for Fertility Regulation.
PATENTS
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. US Patent 5,122,382. June
1992
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. South Africa Patent No.
91/8531. August 1992.
- Transdermal Formulations, Methods and Devices. US Patent 5,198,223. March 1993
- Transdermal Formulations, Methods and Devices. US Patent 5,314,694. May 1994
- Transdermal Formulations, Methods and Devices. US Patent 5,320,850. July 1994
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. México Patent No.177953.
May 1995.
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. New Zealand Patent No.
240,361. November 1995.
- Therapeutically Effective Topical Application of ST-1435. Japanese Patent No 2,625,254.
April 1997.
- Therapeutically Effective Topical Application of ST-1435. European Patent No 0 600 873.
April 1997. (For Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, Denmark,
Holand, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland).
- Therapeutically Effective Topical Application of ST-1435. US Patent 5,651,973. July 1997.
- Contraceptive Method Using a Subdermally Implantable Device. US Patent 5,756,115. May
1998.
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. Norway Patent No. 303527.
July 1998.
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. Portugal Patent No. 99340.
November 1998
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. European Patent No
0577602. September 1998. (For Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy,
Spain, Denmark, Holand, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland).
- Transdermal Contraceptive Formulations, Methods and Devices. Japan Patent No. 2,975,684.
September 1999
- Subdermally Implantable Device. Canadian Patent No 2,161,950. October 2000.
- Progesterone Vaginal Ring for Treatment of Infertility. U.S. Patent No. 5,869,801. June 2002
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Editorial work for scientific publications
1973 – 1974 Revista Reproducción (Spain)
1976 Co-editor of “Ovum Transport and Fertility Regulation”. Scriptor
Copenhagen
1984 – Contraception
1988- Revista Iberoamericana de Fertilidad
1988 – 1991 Archivos de Biología y Medicina Experimentales
1991 Archivos de Biología y Medicina Experimental (Vol. 24 Nº 3) Special number
dedicated to the International Symposium “The Biology of the Oviduct”.
1991- Outlook (PATH publication)
1999 Références en Gynécologie Obstétrique