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“I was there when the first ultrasound showed three beating hearts,” said Marybeth Gerrity CNR SAS ’74, Ph.D., M.B.A., H.C.L.D. “We were dumbfounded because it was a time when we were lucky to get pregnancies at all.”

Gerrity is a reproductive biologist who produced the first successful triplet test-tube babies in the United States in 1983. During her career, she has established, built out and led several successful assisted reproductive technology programs across the country and helped shape the regulatory framework that governs the field.

“Today, there are no IVF [in vitro fertilization] triplets, and we’re even working to lower the incidence of twins due to the poorer obstetric outcomes for multiples,” she explained. “But in 1983, we couldn’t bank on implanting just one embryo because we didn’t know which embryo would continue its development to result in a baby. Thankfully, the parents were thrilled with their triplets.”

Gerrity credits a course at the College of New Rochelle (CNR) for introducing her to the field. All biology majors were required to take a course in embryology, which was taught by biology chair Dr. Robert Reggio. “Bob Reggio will always have a special place in my heart,” Gerrity said. “He was a very inspiring teacher, and he sparked my interest in embryology. He taught me how to think.”

CNR provided an unparalleled education for women studying science. “We enjoyed a superb science education at the College because we were in such small classes,” Gerrity said. “We were able to do hands-on research and work under incredible mentors. In that all-women environment, we felt that there was nothing we couldn’t do.”

Fifty years after her graduation, Gerrity is still very connected to the alumni community. “STEM education wasn’t common for women back then, so my fellow biology majors at the College of Rochelle were already doing something quite different,” she explained. “When we got out into the world, we were used to being on the front lines, making change and pulling other women along with us. That mindset is what has served me best in my career. And that’s why I stay connected and returned for my 50th reunion at Mercy this year.”

After graduating from CNR, Gerrity earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in pharmacology from New York Medical College and later a master’s in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Initially, she worked in contraceptive research, which is where most funding was focused in the 1970s. However, that began to shift once the world’s first test-tube baby was born in the United Kingdom in 1978. Gerrity pivoted into reproductive technology and accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she and her team experienced early success. Her career took off from there. “It was very much the serendipity of having a certain skill set and being alert to how you can use that skill set even when the landscape is shifting,” she explained.

Gerrity loved that her work produced meaningful, tangible results. “I realized early in my training that I didn’t want to do science for science’s sake only,” she said. “I wanted to do something that made a difference. I still get this unbelievable feeling when a patient sends me a Christmas card with a picture of their child or brings that baby into the office. I realize that I watched that egg get fertilized and monitored that embryo’s development. Now look at this unbelievable outcome! I made a real difference in these people’s lives.”

Over the past 40 years, reproductive technology has changed remarkably. New drugs and procedures make egg retrieval more productive and less invasive. Embryologists can support embryos longer in the lab, maximizing the chance that they will implant and continue to develop. And IVF success rates are much higher. Gerrity has seen changes in the types of patients who seek treatment, which now include cancer patients and same-sex couples. She also says that societal stigma about IVF has diminished. The latest changes in the field involve the implications of restrictive abortion laws in some states.

As she looks back on her long career in this fascinating field, Gerrity is open about her accomplishments but very humble — a quality she also credits to her time at CNR: “One thing we learned at the College is that it’s not about being a big shot. You put your head down, and you do your work the best that you can. If you’re lucky, you get to look up and say, ‘How can I be of service?’”

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