ASRM Lifetime Achievement Award

Larry I. Lipshultz, MD

Larry I. Lipshultz, MD, has spent more than four decades helping define the modern field of male reproductive medicine.

A pioneering clinician, scientist, educator, and mentor, Dr. Lipshultz has transformed how male reproductive disorders are understood and treated while building a legacy that extends through the patients he has served, the physicians he has trained, and the standards of care he has helped establish. In recognition of that influence, ASRM has named Dr. Lipshultz the recipient of its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Lipshultz’s path into male reproductive medicine began when few academic programs focused on male infertility. As an intern, he recognized that there was no systematic approach to evaluating the male partner and few urologists working in this area. During his research year at the University of Pennsylvania, he sought every opportunity to learn, including an ASRM course on male fertility led by Stuart Howards, MD, Richard Sherins, MD, and Patrick Walsh, MD. He paid his own way to attend.

“That was literally my first education from the then ‘experts’ in how I should be directing my career,” Dr. Lipshultz recalls. “That was the beginning of what now has led to a very fulfilling 44 years, and I indeed have ASRM to thank for initiating the process.”

That early commitment grew into a career of extraordinary scientific and clinical impact. Dr. Lipshultz’s research has advanced understanding of male infertility, hypogonadism, varicocele management, sperm extraction procedures, and men’s health. Early in his career, he received two NIH R01 grants, and over the decades he has authored more than 475 peer-reviewed journal articles and edited more than 10 books. His body of scholarship has influenced clinical practice worldwide and helped establish standards of care that continue to benefit patients. “His ability to translate scientific discovery into meaningful improvements in patient outcomes exemplifies the highest ideals of our profession,” said ASRM President Robert Brannigan, MD. “Few individuals have had a more profound and lasting impact on the field of reproductive medicine and andrology than Dr. Lipshultz.”

Dr. Lipshultz’s influence is equally evident in his commitment to service and education. At Baylor College of Medicine, where he serves as Professor of Urology and Chief of the Division of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, he leads the first division of its kind established in the United States. He also founded a fellowship program that has trained more than 120 physicians, many of whom now lead programs and practices across the United States and internationally. Through this “multiplier effect” of mentorship, his impact continues through generations of clinicians and researchers.

His service to ASRM has included leadership, education, collaboration, and a term as ASRM President from 1998 to 1999. He has also held leadership roles across several major organizations in reproductive medicine and urology, consistently advancing the recognition of male reproductive health as an essential part of reproductive care.

ASRM is deeply grateful for Dr. Lipshultz’s vision, scholarship, mentorship, and service. His career reflects what is possible when scientific rigor is joined with compassion and a commitment to the next generation. By honoring his lifetime of achievement, ASRM also reaffirms its responsibility to carry forward the work that has meant so much to Dr. Lipshultz and to all those who dedicate their lives to improving reproductive health.

Previous recipients of the ASRM Lifetime Achievement Award:

2026 Larry I. Lipshultz, MD
2025 Catherine Racowsky, PhD, HCLD
2024 John E. Buster, MD
2023 William E. Gibbons, MD
2022 Robert W. Rebar, MD
2021 Christos Coutifaris, MD, PhD
2020 Zev Rosenwaks, MD and Alan H. DeCherney, MD
2019 David R. Meldrum, MD
2018 Eli Y. Adashi, MD, MS, CPE, FACOG