BSHS in Clinical Embryology and Assisted Reproductive Technology

Yuliya Dobrydneva Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences

Dr. Dobrydneva received her professional degree in nursing and master’s degree in microbiology and enzymology in Moscow, Russia. She moved to the United States with her family and in 2000 earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with a specialization in Clinical Chemistry from the joint program between Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, VA. Dr. Dobrydneva completed her post-doctoral training at the Division of Pharmacology, Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medicals School, and worked as EVMS faculty member in the Department of Physiological Sciences. Dr. Dobrydneva was a principal investigator leading externally funded research in pharmacology and physiology of thrombosis in women’s health, obesity, and cancer.

Dr. Dobrydneva’s passion is education and student success, so she joined GWU in 2015 to fully dedicate her efforts to teaching. She has vast expertise in curriculum design, curriculum administration, and teaching diverse populations of learners. Dr. Dobrydneva served as a course director for Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetics in Molecular Embryology and Andrology program at EVMS. She was a founding faculty member at GWU Post-baccalaureate pre-medical program teaching organic chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacology. Dr. Dobrydneva has taught and been a course director for many biomedical courses, including medical and graduate biochemistry, medical pharmacology, medical physiology, clinical laboratory sciences/pathology, and drug discovery.

Galal Abdo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences

Dr. Abdo received his BS and MS degrees from Cairo University, Egypt. He got a Fellowship from the Royal Veterinary College, Sweden (FRVCS), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. He received his doctoral degree from Zurich University in Zurich, Switzerland. He trained in two postdoctoral fellowships, the first at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, and the second at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Japan.

Dr. Abdo moved to the United States in 2001 and worked as a senior embryologist/supervisor at IVF Laboratory in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He accepted a position as Scientific Laboratory Director for Specialists in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery in Fort Myers, Florida. Then, for 15 years Dr. Abdo worked as Scientific Director of Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine in Reston, Virginia. Currently, Dr. Abdo is a Laboratory Director for IVF and Andrology Labs, Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA.

In 2004, Dr. Abdo was board certified through the American Association of Bioanalysts as a High Complexity Laboratory Director (HCLD) as well as a Clinical Consultant (CC). Dr. Abdo is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), American Board of Bioanalysts (ABB), American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB), and College of Reproductive Biology (CRB). Dr. Abdo has been serving as a Team Leader for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) inspection since 2006.

Dr. Abdo did several research studies that lead to new developments in the field of human reproduction and has published numerous articles on various aspects of ART in peer-reviewed journals. He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants. For a number of years, he has been a reviewer for “Fertility and Sterility” journal and ASRM conferences. Dr. Abdo attended more than 15 scientific conferences of ASRM and ESHRE over the last 20 years. Dr. Abdo’s technical skills and experience in Assisted Reproductive Technology are widely recognized. He is the driving force behind the high success rates of the IVF results in many ART laboratories.