Home Physicians Denis Vaughan

Denis Vaughan, MD

✓ Telehealth consults available to all patients in MA and NY.
✓ In-person consults available in Chestnut Hill, MA.

Dr. Denis Vaughan (He/Him) is a board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Director of Clinical Research at Boston IVF. He an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in all aspects of fertility care.

Ask a Question

Book a Consultation

Telehealth Consults

Available to patients in Massachusetts, New York

In-person Consults

The Brookline, MA Fertility Center +

The Albany, NY Fertility Center +

Denis Vaughan, MD

Ask a Question

Book a Consultation

Biography

Dr. Denis Vaughan is a Reproductive Endocrinologist, Director of Clinical Research at Boston IVF, where he leads groundbreaking studies to improve outcomes in fertility treatment. In addition, he is the Co-Director of the Oncofertility program at Boston IVF and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.

He sees a wide spectrum of fertility patients and has a particular interest in the treatment of patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), those with complex fertility issues as well as fertility preservation (both elective egg freezing and cancer related fertility preservation). In addition, Dr. Vaughan’s primary research focus is on sperm quality and male factor infertility.

Denis was born and raised in Cork, Ireland. He was awarded a full academic scholarship to study medicine at The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland where he graduated with high honors. Whilst at University, Denis was a competitive rugby player. Denis then completed an academic intern year at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin followed by three years of OBGYN training at The Coombe Women and Infants Hospital and The Rotunda Hospital Dublin, the oldest maternity hospital in the world. During this time, Denis led several large research studies, presenting his work internationally and publishing in high impact journals such as the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Denis then moved to Boston to further his training in OBGYN and completed a residency program at Tufts Medical Center. During this time, he was the recipient of multiple academic and research awards including the George W. Mitchell, Jr. Society Excellence on CREOG Examination Award and the George W. Mitchell Jr. Research Award. In addition, he was awarded several grants for his research work including the Turksoy-Marcus Research Grant at Tufts Medical Center, a grant from the New England Fertility Society and Irvine Scientific.

Dr. Vaughan completed his subspecialty fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility here at Boston IVF and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School where he continued his prolific research career, winning multiple grants and awards for his work. Denis’ current research interests include the study of twinning in assisted reproduction, selection methods of sperm and the genetics underlying male infertility, work he conducts at Harvard University.

Dr. Vaughan is double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and on faculty as an Assistant Professor where he teaches the next generation of aspiring fertility physicians. He has been invited to speak nationally and internationally and has authored and contributed to more than 100peer reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and abstracts.

Awards

Boston Magazine Top Doctor | 2024-2025
Castle Connolly Top Doctor | 2023-2025
George W. Mitchell, Jr. Society Excellence on CREOG Examination Award | 2017
George W. Mitchell Jr. Research Award | 2017

Interview

The bravery and tenacity shown by our patients, is truly humbling.

Denis Vaughan, MD

MD Q&A

Why Did You Become a Fertility Expert?

I have had a rather different career path. I initially practiced mostly obstetrics and spent 8 years delivering babies both in Ireland and the United States. Having delivered thousands of babies, which I enjoyed immensely, I felt deeply connected patients who had gone through the emotional and physical rollercoaster of fertility treatment which inspired me to move to the U.S to pursue training. The field of Reproductive Medicine is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in medicine, and so every day I find it both intellectually stimulating and exciting but also so rewarding.

What about working at Boston IVF makes you the most proud?

Boston IVF is a pioneer in the field of reproductive medicine. Clinically, we are one of the busiest fertility clinics in the United States, with a phenomenal embryology laboratory and clinical staff. In addition, we are an academic institution and are closely affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. I have a unique role as the Director of Clinical Research at Boston IVF and I am proud to be able to collaborate with so many brilliant researchers across world class institutions to change practice and improve outcomes in reproductive medicine, as well as teach the next generation of physicians.

What is Your Approach to Patient Care?

I always say that there are three groups of people out there: those who have children, those who don’t have children and don’t want them and those who don’t have children but want to have children. The first two groups have no conception of what the third group are going through, which can be very lonely and isolating. It is my responsibility to support the patients, to help them feel heard and to advocate for them through their fertility journey. I take a team-based approach to patient care. I am only a small part of wonderful team at Boston IVF, all of whom play a vital role in caring for our patients. The nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, administrative staff and embryologists all support patients, in different ways, through this arduous process. In particular, we are truly fortunate to have a world class integrative wellness center to help up support and provide holistic care to our patients.

Have Any Patients Truly Inspired You?

It is impossible to single out individual patients over the years. I strongly believe in personalized care, rather than a cookie cutter approach. I treat every patient or couple as individuals and listen to their hopes, concerns and aspirations and work with my team, alongside the patients, to create a treatment plan that maximizes their likelihood of success. The bravery and tenacity shown by our patients, is truly humbling.

How would you describe your personality?

It’s never easy to be introspective! I am inquisitive and rarely accept the status quo without due diligence. I pride myself on being up to date on the latest medical literature in our field so in that regard I suppose I am quite analytical and thoughtful in my approach to patient care. That being said, I am quite candid and would describe myself as an optimistic realist.

Publications

Recent Selected Publications

1. Heyward QD, Vaughan DA, Dodge LE, Duvall D, Sakkas D, Sabbagh R, Korkidakis AK, Penzias AS. Reproductive outcomes following insemination in same-sex female couples, unpartnered female patients, and heterosexual couples. Fertil Steril. 2024 Aug 10. PMID: 39128673

2. Farrell AS, Yuen M, Dodge LE, Sakkas D, Vaughan D, Toth TL. Perinatal outcomes are similar in programmed and modified natural frozen embryo transfer cycles. Reprod Biomed Online. 2024 Jun 27; 49(5):104347. PMID: 39213983

3. Elbers SK, Vaughan DA, Tiruneh YM. COVID-19 Vaccine Motivation and Hesitancy among a Sample of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and African Respondents in the United States. Vaccines (Basel). 2024 May 24; 12(6). PMID: 38932300; PMCID: PMC11209273

4. Correia KFB, Vaughan D, Sakkas D, Rossi BV. Estimating the number of oocytes to expose to sperm in assisted reproductive technology treatment. Fertil Steril. 2024 Jun; 121(6):1063-1065. PMID: 38403103; PMCID: PMC11234386

5. Fouks Y, Vaughan DA, Neuhausser W, Cohen Y, Penzias AS, Sakkas D. Intra-patient analysis of individual weight gain or loss between IVF cycles: cycle now and transfer later. Hum Reprod. 2024 Jan 05; 39(1):93-101. PMID: 38006233

6. Fouks Y, Sakkas D, Bortoletto PE, Penzias AS, Seidler EA, Vaughan DA. Utilization of Cryopreserved Oocytes in Patients With Poor Ovarian Response After Planned Oocyte Cryopreservation. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jan 02; 7(1):e2349722. PMID: 38165675; PMCID: PMC10762568

7. Sabbagh R, Mulligan S, Shah J, Korkidakis A, Penzias A, Vaughan D, Patrizio P, Sakkas D. From oocytes to a live birth: Are we improving the biological efficiency? Fertil Steril. 2023 12; 120(6):1210-1219. PMID: 37678730

8. Batha S, Ardestani G, Ocali O, Jarmuz P, Vaughan DA, Barrett CB, Sakkas D. Day after rescue ICSI: eliminating total fertilization failure after conventional IVF with high live birth rates following cryopreserved blastocyst transfer. Hum Reprod. 2023 07 05; 38(7):1277-1283. PMID: 37208859

9. Fouks Y, Neuhausser W, Ryley D, Penzias A, Sakkas D, Vaughan D. ART outcomes in lean compared to obese phenotypes of polycystic ovarian syndrome. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023 Jun; 40(6):1437-1445. PMID: 37212942; PMCID: PMC10310676

10. Patel K, Vaughan DA, Rodday AM, Penzias A, Sakkas D. Compared with conventional insemination, intracytoplasmic sperm injection provides no benefit in cases of nonmale factor infertility as evidenced by comparable euploidy rate. Fertil Steril. 2023 08; 120(2):277-286. PMID: 37085098

11. Neuhausser WM, Fouks Y, Lee SW, Macharia A, Hyun I, Adashi EY, Penzias AS, Hacker MR, Sakkas D, Vaughan D. Acceptance of genetic editing and of whole genome sequencing of human embryos by patients with infertility before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reprod Biomed Online. 2023 07; 47(1):157-163. PMID: 37127437; PMCID: PMC10330010

12. Wolfe EL, Vaughan D, Craig W, Amaral B, Penzias A, Sakkas D, Toth TL. Modified natural and optimized programmed frozen embryo transfers have equivalent live birth rates: an analysis of 6,682 cycles. Fertil Steril. 2023 07; 120(1):80-88. PMID: 36801457

13. Fouks Y, Penzias A, Neuhausser W, Vaughan D, Sakkas D. A diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve does not impact embryo aneuploidy or live birth rates compared to patients with normal ovarian reserve. Fertil Steril. 2022 09; 118(3):504-512. PMID: 35820943

14. Shah JS, Eliner Y, Vaughan DA, Wylie BJ, Korkidakis A, Leung AQ, Penzias AS, Sakkas D, Toth TL. The effect of interpregnancy interval on preterm birth and low birth weight in singleton pregnancies conceived without assistance or by infertility treatments. Fertil Steril. 2022 09; 118(3):550-559. PMID: 35697531

15. Shah JS, Dodge LE, Vaughan DA, Rooney KL, Penzias AS, Domar AD. Impact of empathic physician contact on patient anxiety and distress during the waiting period after embryo transfer: a randomized controlled trial. Reprod Biomed Online. 2022 09; 45(3):425-431. PMID: 35750588

16. Shah JS, Vaughan DA, Dodge LE, Leung A, Korkidakis A, Sakkas D, Ryley DA, Penzias AS, Toth TL. Endometrial compaction does not predict live birth in single euploid frozen embryo transfers: a prospective study. Hum Reprod. 2022 05 03; 37(5):980-987. PMID: 35357436

17. Domar AD, Shah JS, Gompers A, Meyers AJ, Khodakhah DR, Hacker MR, Penzias AS, Sakkas D, Toth TL, Vaughan DA. The psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on women who become pregnant after receiving treatment for infertility: a longitudinal study. F S Rep. 2022 Mar; 3(1):71-78. PMID: 35098174; PMCID: PMC8786401

18. Vaughan DA, Yin SH, Shah JS, Gompers A, Hacker MR, Sakkas D, Domar A, Toth TL. Telemedicine for reproductive medicine: pandemic and beyond. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 02; 39(2):327-329. PMID: 35025052; PMCID: PMC8756755

19. Vaughan DA, Goldman MB, Koniares KG, Nesbit CB, Toth TL, Fung JL, Reindollar RH. Long-term reproductive outcomes in patients with unexplained infertility: follow-up of the Fast Track and Standard Treatment Trial participants. Fertil Steril. 2022 01; 117(1):193-201. PMID: 34620454

20. Leung AQ, Baker K, Vaughan D, Shah JS, Korkidakis A, Ryley DA, Sakkas D, Toth TL. Clinical outcomes and utilization from over a decade of planned oocyte cryopreservation. Reprod Biomed Online. 2021 Oct; 43(4):671-679. PMID: 34474973