Your provider doesn’t have to be an award-winning researcher with a heart of gold – but it doesn’t hurt.

Jeffrey Thorne always saw himself pursuing a research-focused career, which was the path he started down, winning several accolades along the way. But something was missing – the human element.

As much as he loved working in the laboratory and advancing scientific knowledge through research, connecting with people and offering compassion made him truly feel fulfilled. And so, he turned back on his academic path, the one drawing him toward a Ph.D., and followed his heart into the world of infertility, helping couples and individuals fulfill their parenthood dreams.

He’s sure it was the best decision he’s ever made.

“Being there for the lows is just as important as being there for the highs,” said Dr. Thorne, a reproductive endocrinologist at RMA Philadelphia. “And that’s what drives me and keeps me going.”

Dr. Thorne cares for patients in the Philadelphia area looking for help having a baby or preserving their fertility, specializing in minimally invasive reproductive surgery, including advanced hysteroscopy and laparoscopy.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in biology from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He received the Howard Hughes Research Fellowship as an undergraduate and studied abroad at the University of Regensburg in Germany.

After graduating, he remained at Wesleyan to pursue a master’s degree in developmental and stem cell biology. He went to medical school at The University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut.

Dr. Thorne remained at UConn School of Medicine to complete his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. During this time, he researched the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland and was honored with the Dr. James Egan Outstanding Resident Research Award – one of several different awards and recognitions he has won throughout his career.

After deciding to pursue Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI), Dr. Thorne completed his REI fellowship training at UConn School of Medicine and earned a master’s degree in clinical and translational research in 2019.

This finally brought him to RMA, where Dr. Thorne feels his philosophy of patient-first, compassionate care fits right in.

“Prioritizing the needs and wishes of the patient is important in medicine,” said Dr. Thorne, “but doing so in an assisted reproduction setting is especially critical, and RMA practices that kind of care.”

“That’s what really drew me here – plus all the incredible research coming from our doctors and scientists.”

Dr. Thorne is doing what he truly loves, calling patients night and day to check in not only on how their treatment is going but how they are feeling.

“Being there to support families through their fertility journey is incredibly meaningful,” he said.

He hasn’t cut ties with academia altogether. Dr. Thorne serves on the faculty of Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and provides educational training for OBGYN residents of Abington Memorial Hospital and Temple University, ensuring that the next generation of reproductive endocrinologists excels not only at the medical side of things, but the human, too.

“I have an amazing job – I get to help my patients attain the wonderful gift of parenthood, a truly life-changing event, and I feel so fortunate to be part of that.”

Dr. Thorne’s professional expertise covers the full range of reproductive endocrinology and infertility care, including comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), third party reproduction and egg freezing.

He specializes in minimally invasive reproductive surgery, including advanced hysteroscopy and laparoscopy.

Dr. Thorne is a member of multiple professional organizations, including the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist and the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

Recipient of the Dr. James Egan Outstanding Resident Research Award at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland

Award-winning research presentation at the 2018 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress

Numerous peer-reviewed research articles, including in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Fertility and Sterility.

Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

Active faculty member at Abington Hospital