Winifred Mak, MD, PhD

Clinical Biography

Winifred Mak, MD, PhD is a reproductive specialist for the UT Health Austin Women’s Health Institute. She also has a joint appointment as Assistant Professor in Women’s Health department of Dell Medical School and is actively involved in training the new generation of medical students and residents. Her interests include understanding oocyte and early embryo biology which will help patients faced with infertility issues and recurrent pregnancy loss. Through continuous research she is able to explore promising new developments and pass her knowledge along to her patients. She has authored and co-authored several publications ranging from the cost-effectiveness of Preimplantation Genetic Screening for women older than 37 Years undergoing IVF (2017) to polycystic ovarian syndrome and the risk of cardiovascular disease and thrombosis (2009). In addition, she also received the Research Award from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Dr. Mak served as assistant professor in the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences Department and Director of the Early Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Program at Yale School of Medicine where she focused on the full range of reproductive endocrinology diseases including infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). While at Yale, Dr. Mak was one of a few physician-scientists appointed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) as a prestigious Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) scholar.

Dr. Mak formerly conducted research at the Yale Stem Cell Center in the “Mak Lab”. At Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Mak’s research in the Division of Reproductive Services focused on the understanding the pathophysiology of recurrent pregnancy loss using molecular techniques to investigate DNA methylation patterns to discover new therapeutic targets. The Mak Lab also investigated the potential of trophoblast stem cells to be used in regeneration and therapy for the placenta which potentially will lead to a novel therapeutic strategy for conditions ranging from recurrent pregnancy loss to preeclampsia. Lastly, the Mak Lab’s focus was also dedicated to understanding the role of a translational regulator in the acquisition of the primordial follicle pool, oocyte maturation and maternal-to-zygotic transition. These studies will explain the genes important in establishing the ovarian reserve in women and identify new biomarkers of oocyte and embryo quality. Dr. Mak’s life-long career mission has been to use her research studies to help build families and strongly believes that her job as a physician is to give 110% of her effort to all her patients.