Louis Keith, MD, PhD, DSc (Hon)
Medical Chairman
“At the Center for Study of Multiple Birth, we are frequently asked ‘what are my chances of having twins based on my family history?’ Until now, there has been no way to calculate a simple answer. It is presently known that IVF can result in twins, even with only one embryo transfer (New England Journal of Medicine, 2003). It is also known that the chance of twins depends on several inter-related factors including age, family history, race, decisions about the number of transferred embryos and the specific type of fertility treatment used. To date, no population-based source considers all of these points at the same time. Fortunately, For My Odds takes a unique approach to match your personal characteristics with those of other women who share similar profiles.”
Dr. Louis G. Keith is Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology and former Director of the Section of Undergraduate Education and Medical Student Affairs at Northwestern University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chicago. He received certification by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1967 and commenced his academic career at The Chicago Medical School and the Cook County Hospital in 1967. He attained the rank of Professor in the former institution and Associate Director of the Division of Obstetrics in the latter when he was asked to assume professorship at Northwestern University in 1975, a position he held continuously until obtaining emeritus status in 2004. During these years he supervised the education of more than 5000 medical students in the discipline of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He has been elected to membership and/or fellowship in numerous professional societies in the United States and overseas. These include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists, the Royal Society of Medicine (UK) and the Royal Society of Health (UK).
Over the years he has received 21 awards for his scientific work and achievements. In 1995 he was named "Distinguished Alumnus" of The Chicago Medical School, and in 2000 he was awarded the Golden Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. He was also inducted as a “Knight” in the International Order of Smile (UNESCO). In 2004 he was awarded Honorary Fellowship in the Indian College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Twinning has long been a major focus of Dr. Keith’s research endeavors. He has published more than 175 abstracts, articles and chapters on twinning, as well as editing four definitive textbooks in the English language: Multiple Pregnancy: Epidemiology, gestation, and Perinatal Outcome; Iatrogenic Multiple Pregnancy: Clinical Implications; and Triplet Pregnancies and Their Consequences. The first text, Multiple Pregnancy, was republished in an expanded second edition in 2005 using a two-color text format and four color illustrations throughout. It was awarded the “Book of the Year” in Obstetrics and Gynecology by the British Medical Association in 2005. His most recent academic interest is Post Partum Hemorrhage and his book, A Textbook of Post Partum Hemorrhage, was launched at the Royal Society of Medicine in London in October, 2006 by HRH, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
He received his Ph.D. at the Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, Poland, October 2002. The title of his dissertation was “Triplet Pregnancies in Women Age 40 or More.” At present, he is also Adjunct Professor of Maternal and Child Health in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the University Of Alabama School Of Public Health at Birmingham and Affiliate Professor, College of Public Health, University of Southern Florida, Tampa, Florida. In October of 2007, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by the Medical Academy of Lublin, Poland.
He has successfully mentored graduate students for the Ph.D. degree or its equivalent at Northwestern University in Chicago, Oxford University in the United Kingdom and the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He also served as an external reviewer for a PhD thesis at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences.
Over the years, Dr. Keith has appeared as a guest expert on many television programs, including the BBC, Good Morning America, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also has been featured on many television specials dealing with the subject of multiple pregnancy.
To view a video presentation by Professor Louis Keith MD, PhD detailing this state-of-the-art method of estimating your odds of success following IVF, click on a button choice below:
