Malgorzata E. Skaznik-Wikiel

MD, FACOG

The drive to help patients become parents started at any early age for Dr. Malgorzata E. Skaznik-Wikiel, “Growing up in Poland as a child, my grandmother had a big influence on me. She was a nurse and was very encouraging about a career in medicine. My mom tells a story about a time when I was  maybe 13 or 14 talking about going to medical school and helping people as a physician. Being a physician is not a job, it’s an identity for me.”

Dr. Skaznik-Wikiel joined the Conceptions team in June of 2023 to continue her commitment to improving women’s healthcare especially in areas like infertility and fertility preservation. “I first came to the U.S. to pursue a research fellowship at Harvard in 2004. It was a dream come true. I thought I would go back to Poland after a year or two but the access to research resources and the opportunities to generate translational research kept me here. Advancements like vitrification would not have happened without a robust research effort in the U.S. I joined Conceptions because they understand that science drives success in our field.” 

EDUCATION

Dr. Skaznik-Wikiel completed her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Colorado and residency in OBGYN at Case Western Reserve University, Metro Health Medical Center/Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH. She also completed a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Boston, MA after attending medical school at Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw Poland.

Many patients trying to get pregnant or who can’t stay pregnant experience deep feeling of anxiety, doubt, and sadness. But through science and research patients have hope, Dr. Skaznik-Wikiel explains, “There are many ways to build a family nowadays. From IVF to donor egg and PGT-A to fertility preservation, every patient has a unique story and set of circumstances that I need to be aware of as their physician.”

While her early interests in ovarian function and fertility preservation were rooted in her research work, Dr. Skaznik-Wikiel recognizes that great science and research must be connected to the highest levels of patient support and compassion. “When I meet a patient for the first time, I want them to feel safe and understood. Listening is one of the best tools that a physician has at their disposal to treat their patients successfully.” 

While most patients who come to Conceptions have been diagnosed with infertility, increasingly fertile patients with known genetic disorders are seeking the help of IVF with single gene screening to help have a healthy family. Patients also increasingly seek to have genetic carrier screening performed before trying to conceive.  Dr. Skaznik-Wikiel shared a patient story to make the point, “I remember a patient who came to see me just a few years ago who had a significant hearing loss issue since birth. With no history of injury or infection as the cause, we looked at genetics. After testing her, we found she was affected by a gene mutation. After that we tested her partner and fortunately, he was not a carrier of the same gene mutation. It’s not just about getting patients pregnant; I want my patients to have healthy babies.”

When she’s not helping patients build their families, Dr. Skaznik-Wikiel enjoys any downtime she has by spending it with her own. “We love the outdoors. We hike and bike as a family often. I work hard for my patients because I know the joy that family can bring.” While her musical interests lean more towards Mozart and Andrea Bocelli than Beyoncé, her three kids have helped her discover new music, “I love listening to what my kids enjoy. It reminds me that everyone “hears” things a little differently which I bring to my professional life every day every patient.”