Oozoa Biomedical, Inc.

David Mortimer

Dr David Mortimer is President and co-owner of Oozoa Biomedical and has many years of experience in the design and establishment of successful assisted conception laboratories around the world. A native of Huddersfield (Yorkshire, UK), after his tertiary education in the UK (BSc in Zoology, Bristol University, 1974 and a PhD from Edinburgh University, 1977) he undertook postdoctoral training in Edinburgh (1977-1980), Paris (1980-1981) and Birmingham (1981-1983) before being appointed Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Medical Physiology at the University of Calgary in 1983, supported by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Between 1983 and 1991 his laboratory investigated human sperm pathophysiology and, as Scientific Director of the Infertility Programme, he was responsible for developing diagnostic andrology services, one of the largest sperm banks in Canada and, from 1988, the IVF Programme. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1988, and cross-appointed to the Department of Pathology in 1990. He taught each year in the Reproductive System Course, was Course Chairman for 2 years and Evaluation Coordinator for 1 year. In 1988-1991 he advised the World Health Organization in preparing the 3rd (1992) edition of their Laboratory Manual, and edited the first two editions of the Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society's Donor Insemination Guidelines (1988 and 1991).

In 1991 he moved to Sydney (Australia) as the Scientific Director of Sydney IVF, a position he held until his resignation in September 1999 to become a full-time consultant. At Sydney IVF he was responsible for the development of assisted reproduction laboratory services not only in Sydney but at their other sites in Australia and around SE Asia. During this time he developed new sequential IVF culture media and incubators that provided Sydney IVF with the highest success rates in Australia, and which have since been commercialized by Sydney IVF as the Cook Culture System (Cook IVF, Brisbane, Australia). In Sydney he held honorary appointments as Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology of Sydney University and Visiting Principal Scientific Officer in the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. In 1997-1999 he worked on the World Health Organization's updated Manual for the Standardized Investigation, Diagnosis and Management of the Infertile Male.

From a business perspective he has been Managing Director of Mortimer Scientific Consulting Pty Ltd (1991-2000), a partner in Andrology International BV (1992-1996), and Scientific Director and Board Secretary of Launceston.SIVF Pty Ltd (1996-1999). He moved back to Canada in March 2000 and formed Oozoa Biomedical Inc. In May 2000 was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Wildlife Breeding Resource Centre (Pretoria, South Africa). He has been a Board Member of the Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society since 2001, currently serving as Secretary-Treasurer (until 9/2007).

Dr Mortimer is well-known in the field of reproductive biology, having authored or co-authored over 120 scientific publications, including the book Practical Laboratory Andrology (Oxford University Press, 1994) and Quality and Risk Management in the IVF Laboratory (Cambridge University Press, 2005) as well as over 200 conference presentations. He has given many invited lectures and taught in workshops and courses worldwide. He is a member of 12 national or international professional societies and has served on 4 Editorial Boards, including Human Reproduction (1989-1997). He was Scientific Programme Chairman for the 11th World Congress on In Vitro Fertilization and Human Reproductive Genetics held in Sydney (Australia) in May 1999, and co-edited the plenary proceedings volume Towards Reproductive Certainty: Fertility and Genetics Beyond 1999 (Parthenon Press).

During the last 20 years he has undertaken a wide range of consultancy and advisory work in various areas of reproductive biology and medicine in human, domesticated and laboratory species covering products, equipment and services from both the diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives. Major projects have included setting up andrology laboratories, sperm banks and IVF units, with a strong focus on staff training and quality control programmes. Most recently this has included advising on the development and implementation of quality and risk management programmes for ART centres.

Download Dr David Mortimer's CV (PDF file 112 KB) or brief business biography (PDF file 38 KB)