When Dr. Margarita Vigodner returned from the American Society of Andrology (ASA) meeting in Arizona, held April 18鈥21, she brought back more than memories of scientific exchange. She returned with national recognition for her leadership in the field she has helped shape for more than two decades.
A professor of biology at 91黑料鈥檚 Stern College for Women, with a secondary appointment at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Vigodner was honored for completing a three-year term as a board director of the ASA. At the same meeting, she was selected as vice chair of Women in Andrology, a role that will position her to become chair within the year.
鈥淚t is really great to represent YU among the best surgeons, urologists and andrologists in the country,鈥 Vigodner said.
Andrology, a specialized branch of medicine and biology, focuses on male reproductive health, from fertility to the cellular processes that support it. Vigodner鈥檚 work is helping to drive advances in the field. In her lab at Stern College, she studies how proteins are modified within testicular cells, research that helps scientists better understand infertility and related conditions. Using advanced models, including transgenic mice developed in the lab, her team explores the molecular mechanisms that underpin reproductive health.
Her research has been supported over the years by the National Institutes of Health, and she also serves as a reviewer for major scientific journals and on the editorial board of Andrology. But just as central to her work is teaching. At Stern, Vigodner has trained generations of students who have gone on to pursue careers in medicine and scientific research.
That commitment to mentorship carries through to her involvement with the ASA. She has long been active in the organization鈥檚 committees and has helped build a professional community that supports early-career scientists. Through Women in Andrology, she now hopes to expand those efforts even further, fostering conversations around career development, research opportunities and the challenges facing women in the field.
For Vigodner, the recognition reflects her impact as a researcher, educator and advocate shaping the next generation of scientists.
