Northwest Reproductive Sciences Symposium (NWRSS) 2026

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY On June 24-26, 2026, the 20th Northwest Reproductive Science Symposium (NWRSS) meeting will be held at the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn and Conference Center in Hood River, Oregon and hosted by the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC), which is a part of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). This long-standing meeting began in 1989 as the Washington State University (WSU) and the University of Idaho (UI) annual joint mini-symposium, but now organization and hosting rotates biennially between WSU/UI, Oregon State University (OSU), and ONPRC/OHSU. The NWRSS scientific program showcases reproductive science- related research being conducted primarily in the Pacific Northwest region and includes topics such as fertility and contraception, developmental biology, reproductive aging, environmental toxicology, and disease therapies to improve human reproductive and developmental health. Our overall objective is to promote the exchange of scientific information in an informal setting to advance our understanding of important events that occur throughout the entire life process. NWRSS organizers and participants remain committed to providing a safe and professional environment to foster the sharing of ideas and are pleased to welcome basic scientists, clinicians, and other leaders working in the reproductive or developmental biology field to the meeting. Because most of the attendees have historically been trainees, the NWRSS provides unique networking opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows to interact with other trainees, early-stage investigators, and established scientists. NWRSS also seeks to support career development at multiple levels with encouraged participation from trainees in all aspects of meeting organization. To help facilitate this, an ad hoc trainee committee is established each year with representatives from all participating universities to oversee abstract submission and serve as session chairs during the meeting. Similar to previous years, at least one preeminent leader in the reproductive sciences will deliver a keynote address with additional prominent speakers invited from each university or chosen from the submitted abstracts. Due to shared interests in reproductive physiology and the relatively close proximity of attendees, many lasting and productive collaborations have arisen from these gatherings, and this is expected to continue at the 20th NWRSS meeting.