July 1995/METROPOLITAN Magazines Golden Triangle METROPOLITAN BEST of the Golden Triangle We walked, talked and surveyed our way through the Golden Triangle, getting the word on the latest developments, the award winner, the most prized moments and the most influential people - and we put it all together in this, the "Best of the Golden Triangle." By Doug Desjardins and Danielle Lancy

  DOCTOR OF THE YEAR

HARVESTING HOPE

Though it's been around for some time now, the practice of producing 'test tube babies' is hardly a perfect science. Because problems can start at the very beginning, that's the place Dr. Steven Brody, medical director of Reproductive Endocrine Associates of San Diego, always begins. As a result of his research, couples coping with infertility have hope.

Dr. Brody's research is aimed to improving the likelihood of conception during in-vitro fertilization. He has been working to refine and improve a method developed by a doctor in New York City. Dr. Brody explains, "We've been working with micro-manipulation to enhance the implantation of embryos. This involves micro-surgery to improve the quality of the embryo. We basically look for fragments or anything else that doesn't belong there and remove them."

Brody's pioneering efforts were recognized by the San Diego Medical Journal when it named him 'Doctor of the Year' for 1995. In addition to his work in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Brody is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSD School of Medicine and is a staff physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. -D.D.