Scott Slayden, MD

Education & Certifications

Medical School:

Tulane University School of Medicine

Residency:

Medical University of South Carolina

Fellowship:

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Certifications:

Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2001 Obstetrics and Gynecology American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1998

About

Since earning a Bachelor of Science in biology from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Slayden has been involved in academic medicine and private practice in many settings over the years. He remembers his own father graduating from medical school, but only had a passing interest in going to medical school himself. Having spent his early years in Miami and loving marine life, he originally planned a career in marine biology research and field work. Hoping to study environmental impacts on sea-mammal reproductive processes, he was sidetracked by a part-time job doing research in Vanderbilt’s infertility clinic – one of the first in the nation. He felt a true calling during these early days of IVF and was mentored by the clinicians and IVF researchers. This experience led to his decision to shift from PhD to MD.

“It was a tough but exciting decision,” says Dr. Slayden. “I had several irons in the fire, including working as a research assistant studying sea kelp fertilization in the undergraduate labs, working in the clinical IVF lab, applying to PhD programs, all while developing and teaching a summer marine biology class to high school level students at a facility in North Florida.”

Ultimately, he says that life can have its serendipitous moments, which in his case, has led to a career doing what he loves – combining his fascination with reproductive physiology with the never-ending challenges and joy that comes with helping a couple build their family. In fact, the other result of these series of chance events was that Dr. Slayden met his wife-to-be at Vanderbilt while pursuing additional course work required to shift to a pre-med path.

Dr. Slayden attended Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, He knew, and feared, that his chosen path to be an infertility doctor required him to excel during the OB/GYN rotation. “I previously enjoyed a good night’s sleep and long weekends, so the obvious demands of obstetrics were more than a little intimidating. I drew a line in the sand that if I didn’t enjoy obstetrics, I would finish medical school and pursue embryology as a career,” says Dr. Slayden.

Fortunately for him, the burden of uncertainty was lifted the first night of the OB/GYN rotation. He and the intern managed the OB triage room, started all the IV’s and delivered his first baby, his second and third, all that night. It was beyond exciting and fulfilling in many ways and was the beginning of a long and fulfilling journey. He thankfully discovered early that it’s imperative to enjoy what you do in order to make it through the demands required to reach a goal. As a result, he matched for an academic OB/GYN residency at MUSC in Charleston, SC., where he was one of four residents per year.

“I enjoyed teaching the medical students, one of whom was my wife on the rotation – the only time I was ever able to suggest what she should do!” jokes Dr. Slayden. “The four years were very tough times, but I learned that my dedication to the path and resilience were greater than I ever knew about myself.”

Dr. Slayden received the resident teaching award during residency and received awards for his self-designed research in preeclamptic induced placental pathology. “I enjoyed OB so much at the time, that I began to question going into a fellowship – but only for a minute,” says Dr. Slayden.

Before pursuing his fellowship at University of Alabama, Birmingham, Dr. Slayden and his wife took a year off and travelled through Europe, stopping to visit the clinic in England where the world’s first IVF baby was conceived. He funded the trip and a down payment on his first house by running labor and delivery and teaching family practice residents in a small town in Kentucky. During his subsequent fellowship, he and his wife had their first baby while she was in her adult psychiatry residency program. He continued to teach and wrote and published research papers and book chapters.

After fellowship, Dr. Slayden became an assistant professor at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. It was here that he combined reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) and OB/GYN work. This rigorous schedule, along with sometimes seven OB calls per month and running day clinics, proved to be unsustainable. Now having a second child and his wife completing her child psychiatry fellowship, it was time for a change.

Dr. Slayden had maintained a relationship with an REI in Atlanta which led to him being hired at RBA – a clinic internationally known for groundbreaking infertility/IVF treatments. Thus, Dr. Slayden had come full circle back to Atlanta where his family still lives. His wife works at his father’s child psychiatry clinic. His third child was born in Atlanta.

Professionally, he has been able to combine teaching and doing what he loves, now without the deliveries in the middle of the night. He concludes, “my greatest attribute wasn’t my own, but more what was given to me by my teachers, patients and students I’ve encountered along the way. I will be forever grateful to all of them.”