Introduction to J.C. Trussell, MD

Richard S. Legro, MD

Our guest editor for this issue of the Seminars in Reproductive Medicine is Dr. J. C. Trussell. Dr. Trussell is an associate professor in the Division of Urology at the Upstate State University of New York (SUNY) School of Medicine in Syracuse, NY. He was asked to put together an issue focusing on the medical treatment of male infertility including newer diagnostic strategies. He has responded to the call with an outstanding and eclectic group of articles from a well-balanced group of investigators in male fertility.

Dr. Trussell is board certified as a urologist and has also received specialized training in both male infertility and erectile dysfunction. As noted in his introduction, Dr. Trussell has been a male investigator over the last 5 years in the National Institute of Health (NIH)-sponsored Reproductive Medicine Network and has played a leading role in incorporating males into predominantly female studies and assisting with direct male studies within the network. He is a recipient of the Pfizer Research Excellence award and has served as a reviewer for leading journals in his specialty including the Journal of Urology. He has a long-standing interest, both clinically and from a research perspective, in male infertility and erectile dysfunction, and has conducted multiple investigations in the field.

Although surgery is not a topic of this issue, Dr. Trussell also has a long-time interest in vasectomy reversal, and he has been focused on improving outcomes while reducing operative time requirements for vasectomy reversals. He has developed a reversible vas occlusion device that was patented in 2012 and is currently conducting prospective trials utilizing a canine model that requires survivable surgical implantation followed by longitudinal studies of semen quality. Dr. Trussell also has a research interest in percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration and is working on several research studies and proposals in the field.

These articles summarize a broad range of knowledge about the diagnosis and medical treatment of male infertility, including male fertility preservation, and this issue will be essential reading for anyone in the practice of reproductive medicine.