Cristina Hickman Leaders
With 24 years of experience as a researcher & embryologist, Dr. Hickman has transformed the landscape of fertility care. As a clinical embryologist and lab director, Dr.Hickman oversaw operations at the two largest group of fertility clinics in the UK: Care Fertility and The Fertility Partnership, but also in international locations like the Caribbean and Saudi Arabia.
Driven by her passion for innovation, Dr.Hickman established Boston Place Clinic, the world's first Time-Lapse technology-designed clinic, and founded Aria Fertility, the first fully digitised clinic, and Avenues, the first IVF clinic to fully integrate fully digitalised AI technologies for enhanced patient care and patient experience, setting new standards for the IVF industry. In these roles, she took on multiple leadership and operational responsibilities as a member of the Board, as the lead embryologist, lead procurement for both clinical and non clinical, Person Responsible, Science Director, Data Protection Officer, and Risk Officer.
Through IVF Professionals, her consulting service, Dr. Hickman extended her expertise to clinics and companies worldwide. Her holistic approach was shaped by advising more than 250 clinics across 20 countries, building 13 IVF labs, and collaborating with various fertility startups and established firms.
Dr. Hickman's influence expands beyond clinics as she became the Chief Scientific Officer of Apricity, the pioneering Virtual Fertility Clinic. She is also the Chief Clinical Officer of Fairtility, harnessing AI to enhance embryo assessment.
A thought leader, Dr. Hickman regularly shares her expertise at prominent fertility conferences, focusing on leveraging Artificial Intelligence to advance fertility care. Her impact on the field is reflected in her memberships in multiple fertility organizations and her role as the Scientific representative of the British Fertility Society.
Her dedication to research shines through her published contributions in leading scientific journals, including Nature, Fertility & Sterility, Human Reproduction. One of her groundbreaking papers established a link between blastocyst morphokinetics and ploidy, adding a new dimension to fertility research.
Dr. Hickman's visionary leadership extends even further as she co-founded the AIFertility.org, the world's first Global AI Fertility Society. Her commitment to driving change and innovation is further evident in her role as the co-founder and COO of Ovomcare GmbH, a venture-backed startup poised to revolutionize fertility care by merging compassion with technology.
