Biography

Dagan Wells has been actively involved in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and the study of human gametes and embryos for over two decades, conducting his first PGD cases in 1992. He spent several years developing novel PGD tests at University College London, where he accomplished the first comprehensive chromosome analysis of human embryos in 1998, using a combination of whole genome amplification and comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH). In 1999 Dagan moved to the United States and joined Reprogenetics, one of the world’s largest providers of PGD services. In 2003 he initiated Reprogenetics’ highly successful single gene PGD program, helping numerous families to avoid the transmission of serious inherited conditions to their children. Dagan later accepted a faculty position at Yale University Medical School, where he spent four years running a research laboratory, before returning to the UK in 2007 and joining the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Oxford. Dagan’s work has led to the publication of over 150 peer-review publications and has been shortlisted for eighteen major conference prizes (ASRM and ESHRE) in the last decade, winning ten of them. Dagan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, the Royal Society of Biology and the Institute of Biomedical Science and currently serves on the Editorial Boards of several international journals. In 2019 he was awarded an honorary Fellowship ad eundem by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Sources of research funding (last 10 years)

• National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Merck Serono
• Medical Research Council (MRC)
• Oxford Gene Technology
• Gema Diagnostics

Academic and clinical societies and working groups

• 2019-present, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
• 2017-present, Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science
• 2016-present, Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology
• 2014-present, Association of Clinical Embryologists Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) 
• 2012-present, Co-chair of the UKNEQAS/CEQA Microarray Working Group. Developing an independent external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for cytogenetic tests performed by preimplantation genetic diagnosis laboratories
• 2012-present, American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Executive Board of the PGD Special Interest Group (PGD-SIG)
• 2012-present, Executive Board of the Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis International Society (PGDIS)
• 2008-present, Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.
• 2006-2008, Executive Board of the New England Fertility Society

Editorial duties (international journals)

• 2009-present, Section Editor, Reproductive Biomedicine Online
• 1998-present, Editorial Board of the journal Prenatal Diagnosis
• 2012-2017, Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Embryology
• 2008-2012, Associate Editor of Molecular Human Reproduction
• 2004-2007, Associate Editor of Human Reproduction

Recognition of research through awards and prize nominations

• 2017- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, winner of the General Program Prize (collaborator)
• 2016- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, shortlisted the Basic Science Prize (senior author)
• 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, STAR Award (recognition for having presented work in at least nine of the previous 10 annual conferences)
• 2015- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, shortlisted for the General Program Prize (senior author)
• 2015- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, winner of Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology prize (senior author)
• 2015- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, shortlisted the Clinical Science Prize (senior author)
• 2014- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, shortlisted the Clinical Science Prize (senior author)
• 2014- Robert G. Edwards Prize Paper Award for best published paper (Palini et al., 2013 RBMO)
• 2013- British Fertility Society and Association of Clinical Embryologists conference (Fertility 2013), 'Peoples Choice' poster award (senior author) 
• 2013- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, shortlisted for the General Program Prize (senior author)
• 2013- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, shortlisted the Clinical Science Prize (first author)
• 2013- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, shortlisted the Basic Science Prize (senior author)
• 2013- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, winner of the Fertility Society of Australia Exchange Award (senior author)
• 2013- Fertility 2013 (Association of Clinical Embryologists and British Fertility Society). Best Poster (senior author)
• 2012- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, shortlisted the Fertility Society of Australia Exchange Award (senior author)
• 2011- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, winner of Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology prize (first author)
• 2011- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, winner of the Basic Science Prize (senior author)
• 2009- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, best oral free communication (senior author)
• 2007- New England Fertility Society first prize paper at annual meeting (senior author)
• 2007- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, short-listed for the Basic Science Prize (first author)
• 2004- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, short-listed for Promising Young Scientist Award (first author)
• 2003- European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, short-listed for Established Scientist Prize (first author)
• 2002- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, short-listed for General Program Prize (first author)
• 2001- Mammalian Genetics and Development, first prize paper at the annual meeting (first author)
• 2000- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, winner of General Program Prize (first author)