Dr. Bedaiwy’s research focuses on exploring the potential use of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, as an alternative to medical therapy.
Dr. Teng’s research is in the development and pilot testing of a contraception decision tool for Canadians and generate evidence-based women-centered recommendations tailored to individual preferences.
About The Nelly Auersperg Award
The Nelly Auersperg Award supports pilot studies in women’s health which aim to generate preliminary data, test new approaches, methodologies or tools. The funding supports activities that will enable the pursuit of more ambitious studies and foster further funding applications.
The Award was established in 2000 by donors who have known Nelly for many years and admire her lifelong devotion and commitment to women’s health research and her contribution to medical science. Nelly’s work inspired their lead donation for this award. They, in turn, hope their donation will inspire future researchers to follow in the path of Nelly’s tireless work. Additionally, new donors can take pride, knowing that their gifts will also inspire, celebrate and ultimately bring greater knowledge to women’s health.
About Nelly Auersperg
Dr. Nelly Auersperg is a pioneer of gynecological cancer research who has focused her career on advancing the medical community’s ability to detect ovarian cancer at its early stages. In 1974, when she received the first of many research grants from the Canadian Cancer Society, few others were studying the disease. This dearth of research meant that Dr. Auersperg needed to develop many of the tools used to study the cancer in vitro herself, leading to discoveries that have increased our understanding of the disease and led to promising new possibilities for treatment and survival.
Throughout her career, Nelly has been a prolific researcher and author, with more than 190 refereed journal articles and more than 11 book chapters to her name. She has also been a remarkable teacher, mentoring more than 60 graduate and post-graduate students over the years. Many of those who benefited from her tutelage have forged successful research careers of their own.
Nelly’s incredible achievements have not gone unrecognized by her peers or society at large. In 2008, Simon Fraser University awarded her with an honorary degree and in 2007 she received the UBC Faculty of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1985 she was named a Terry Fox Research Scientist and in 2003 the BC Women’s Hospital established the Nelly Auersperg Award in Women’s Health Research.
Nelly’s work continued long after her official retirement from UBC in 1994. In fact, she held research grants and carried out experiments for another 15 years, and published her most recent article in early 2011. She remains an honorary professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UBC, a trailblazing figure in ovarian cancer research, and a trusted mentor to a new generation of researchers.