Distinguished Service Award

From 1984 until his retirement in 2021, George L. Gerton, Ph.D. served as Research Professor in Reproductive Biology of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He received a B.A. with Honors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1975 and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis in 1980. As a postdoctoral scientist, he first worked at Tufts-New England Medical Center and then did research at Harvard Medical School where he developed his expertise in spermatogenesis and sperm structure and function. Over the course of his career, his research team investigated the biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology of male reproduction, fertilization, preimplantation embryo development, and environmental health. His laboratory made key discoveries relating to acrosomal and flagellar proteins of sperm, fertilization mechanisms, and the effects of endocrine disruptors on reproduction. He also served in administrative positions in PENN’s Center for Research on Reproduction and Women’s Health and the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology. His funding was derived from public agencies, including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, as well as private foundations.

Dr. Gerton has been a member of ASA since 2001, serving in several roles. He is an Immediate Past President of the Society and served as Vice President, President, and a member of the ASA Executive Council. As ASA President, he led the Society through the important transition to a new management company, and he also coordinated activities through the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the ASA’s first all virtual meeting. These contributions, driven by his passion to sustain and elevate ASA operations, were key to ensuring the cohesiveness and vitality of ASA during this very challenging time. His legacy is enduring.

Amongst other contributions to the ASA, Dr. Gerton has actively participated in and/or chaired many committees including Trainee Affairs, Membership, Constitution and By-Laws, Ethics, Endowment and Development, Diversity, Nominating, Program, and Archives and History. He has worked to expand the diversity of the ASA by providing opportunities for trainees from underrepresented minorities to participate and become members of the ASA, combining his passion for trainee advocacy with his interest in promoting the careers of underrepresented minorities in andrology. He continues to facilitate greater opportunities for clinicians and basic scientists to collaborate on meaningful research projects, integrate trainees and new members deeper into the workings of the society, develop programs to bolster the careers of trainees and members from diverse backgrounds, expand membership to include a broader base of workers in andrology, and seek ways to reach out to the public and legislators to make “andrology” a commonly used term and spread the word that male reproductive health is an important issue in need of more funding for research and clinical care.

In recognition of his extraordinary service to the American Society of Andrology, and to the field of Andrology in general, his dedication to and exceptional leadership that have improved ASA functions, and his effective actions that have built connections between ASA members, the American Society of Andrology is pleased to present the Distinguished Service Award to Dr. George Gerton.