ASRM Announces $1 Million Gift from Dr. Kwang-Yul Cha to Fund Reproductive Research Grants

October 29, 2025
For Immediate Release

Washington, DC—The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) today announced that Kwang-Yul Cha, MD, PhD, Chair of CHA Global Institute for Bioscience and founder of CHA Biomedical Group, will donate $1 million to ASRM. Dr. Cha’s donation will protect critical fertility science and research by: 

• Funding fast turnaround, competitive grants to ASRM member-researchers to support areas of research that have lost or are ineligible for federal funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) through ASRM’s Fighting for Our Future: Rescuing Research Campaign.
• Expanding the KY Cha Award grant program to fund innovative research projects in stem cell technology and ovarian aging. The grant will be doubled from $20,000 to $40,000 annually.
• Funding the annual “KY Cha Symposium in Stem Cell Technology and Ovarian Aging” at the annual ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo, where grant recipients can present their research in front of reproductive health professionals.

Cha previously donated $1.3 million to ASRM in 2011 to establish the KY Cha, MD, PhD, Science Endowment funding awards and the KY Cha Symposium in Stem Cell Technology and Reproductive Medicine at the annual ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo. 

Additional Background about ASRM’s ‘Fighting for Our Future” Campaign

In June, ASRM launched the Fighting for Our Future: Rescuing Research Campaign in an urgent effort to provide bridge funding for reproductive scientists, researchers, and labs at risk due to federal funding cuts. 

The Campaign is designed to:

• Preserve Critical Research: Keep transformative reproductive health projects alive despite federal defunding.
• Retain Scientific Talent: Prevent early- and mid-career investigators from leaving the field due to loss of funding.
• Continue Innovation: Sustain the research ecosystem needed for future breakthroughs in fertility, embryology, and women’s health.
• Protect the Training Pipeline: Ensure postdocs and trainees continue receiving mentorship, safeguarding the next generation of scientists.
• Stabilize Research Institutions: Maintain the stability of research centers, allowing them to withstand political and funding volatility.

For more information about supporting the Rescuing Research campaign, contact ASRM Director of Charitable Giving, Holly Jaap Hilton, at hhilton@asrm.org or (205) 978-7702.