Talk:Ricardo Azziz

Making Edits
Hello! I'd like to make some edits to this page, as it is out of date with old information from a now-defunct page. Ricardo Azziz is now President of Georgia Regents University and there are some biographical updates that need to be made.

I'm mentioning this - just as I have on the other GRU-affiliated pages I've worked on - to state that I DO work for the institution in question. However, I understand that EVERYTHING I put needs to be properly sourced from excellent sources, and that my work will be given a through scrutiny.

Just wanted to post this and invite any questions/comments/concerns here or on my talk page. Thank you! GRUcrule (talk) 18:49, 6 August 2013 (UTC)


 * For those reading, I have been making edits, as I said I would. Please feel free to double-check my work and give me a shout if you have any concerns, questions, etc. I'm certainly doing my best to properly cite/source everything, and format infoboxes, etc. correctly. Thanks! GRUcrule (talk) 14:22, 3 September 2013 (UTC)


 * Thanks for being up front about this and not being offended. The templates are for transparency to other editors and not an assumption of bad faith on your part. Happy editing :-) Wgnome0613 (talk) 16:50, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

I will be working to make some edits, so would appreciate your comments. Specifically, this profile was created and focuses on Ricardo Azziz's time at then, Georgia Regents University. I will be working to make the profile more of an overview, as opposed to being heavily focused on one area. Of course, keeping with the standards of NPOV and citing sources for new information and adding in sources that are currently missing. Look forward to any feedback, Thanks! Lhubbard2203a (talk) 01:50, 21 June 2017 (UTC)

No mention of controversy
Since the main editor works at the institution then the article should also follow wikipedia policy and take a NPOV and have a controversy section. Because Azziz's actions as president of the now combined local schools has generated a lot of controversy and political tension at the local and state level. Regards, GetAgrippa (talk) 23:28, 19 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Hey, User:GetAgrippa, I don't disagree with you. Per Wgnome's advice on my talk page, I'm doing all I can not to edit this article any further and let the Wikipedia community at large handle edits such as your suggestion. I'd feel a lot better that way, anyway, considering the subject matter, though I'm happy to help here or on my talk page if someone has a question. GRUcrule (talk) 20:52, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

The article has an NPOV tag; unless some provides reliable sources explaining any missing controversy, I will remove it once I finish completely rewriting this (dismal) article. Sources, please? Sandy Georgia (Talk)  21:20, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I have now found sources explaining the controversy.Sandy Georgia (Talk)  06:02, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

External links modified
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I have just modified 3 external links on Ricardo Azziz. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Replaced archive link http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kLitXSEGqW0J:nmri.niddk.nih.gov/workshops/0406/Final%2520Agenda%25203-13-06.pdf+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a with https://web.archive.org/web/20100527174330/http://nmri.niddk.nih.gov/workshops/0406/Final%20Agenda%203-13-06.pdf on http://nmri.niddk.nih.gov/workshops/0406/Final%20Agenda%203-13-06.pdf
 * Replaced archive link http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-mmaYm4CnDUJ:www.cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/Documents/CS_AnnualReport2011.pdf+&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a with https://web.archive.org/web/20131030010737/http://cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/Documents/CS_AnnualReport2011.pdf on http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/Documents/CS_AnnualReport2011.pdf
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130602071210/http://azziz.gru.edu/archives/281 to http://azziz.gru.edu/archives/281

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

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COI disclosure - lhubbard2203a
Edits that were made to this page by myself were made on behalf of Ricardo Azziz and I received compensation to do so. The edits were made to provide updates regarding his employment as his employer had changed. The edits that were undone on 3/2/2020 negate those changes and the page is no longer accurate. At a minimum, updates to the page to reflect the current employment would greatly improve the accuracy of this page. After that - I can work on looking again at the references and statements to ensure a neutral point of view. Many thanks! Lhubbard2203a (talk) 23:35, 22 March 2020 (UTC)

Edits to Consider
Dear Wikipedia COI editors,

The following addresses an update to Ricardo Azziz becoming Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

I have COIs as a member of ASRM since 1975, of its IT committee, and of one of its associated editorial boards. I have also known Ricardo since the 1990s. I am retired and receive no compensation from ASRM, Dr. Azziz, or their associates, employees, relatives, etc. I am a part-time employees of Virginia Commonwealth University as an Institutional Review Board reviewer and no other paid work.

I hope that the changes in the first three paragraphs are acceptable. Note: The 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of the current page are combined into the third paragraph of the suggested revision,

This is in two sections:

1) Suggested text changes to main section compared with current,

2) MediaWiki markup language for the corresponding Infobox officeholder and main changes

The new version is in Memdmarti/sandbox. If you want me to put them on the page and test them, please let me know.

Thank you. Dan Martin. Memdmarti (talk) 22:14, 26 June 2020 (UTC)

1) Suggested text changes for main section

Ricardo Azziz currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).[1] The Society has over 8000 members, and has its headquarters in Washington, DC, and operations in Birmingham, Alabama.[2] The ASRM has been a leader in responding to the COVID epidemic.[3]

From 2016 to 2019, he served as Chief Officer of Academic Health and Hospital Affairs, State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration. In that role he provided support, strategic oversight, guidance, and advocacy for the educational, research and clinical programs within the SUNY academic health and health professions portfolio, representing over 30% of SUNY’s total annual $13.3 billion budget.[4]

He was formerly president of Georgia Regents University (GRU),[5] now Augusta University, in Augusta, Georgia (United States), and former chief executive officer of its health system.[5] This was an extension of his position as president of the then Medical College of Georgia[6] renamed Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) prior to its consolidated with Augusta State University in January 2012 to form GRU.[7]

To replace

Ricardo Azziz currently serves as Chief Officer of Academic Health and Hospital Affairs, State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration. In this role he provides support, strategic oversight, guidance, and advocacy for the educational, research and clinical programs within the SUNY academic health and health professions portfolio, representing over 30% of SUNY’s total annual $13.3 billion budget.[1]

He was formerly president of Georgia Regents University (GRU), now Augusta University, in Augusta, Georgia (United States), and former chief executive officer[2] of its health system.[3] Prior to his current position, he served as president of then Medical College of Georgia[4][5] (MCG) and CEO of its health system beginning in July 2010. The university was renamed Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) and later consolidated with Augusta State University in January 2012 to form GRU, a transformation he led.[6]

2) MediaWiki markup

Ricardo Azziz currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The Society has over 8000 members, and has its headquarters in Washington, DC, and operations in Birmingham, Alabama. The ASRM has been a leader in responding to the COVID epidemic.

From 2016 to 2019, he served as Chief Officer of Academic Health and Hospital Affairs, State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration. In that role he provided support, strategic oversight, guidance, and advocacy for the educational, research and clinical programs within the SUNY academic health and health professions portfolio, representing over 30% of SUNY’s total annual $13.3 billion budget.

He was formerly president of Georgia Regents University (GRU), now Augusta University, in Augusta, Georgia (United States), and former chief executive officer of its health system. This was an extension of his position as president of the then Medical College of Georgia renamed Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) prior to its consolidated with Augusta State University in January 2012 to form GRU.

Thank you. Dan Martin. Memdmarti (talk) 22:14, 26 June 2020 (UTC)


 * There's a lot here, so going to take it line-by-line. Might be easier in the future to list out items in, well, a list.
 * "Currently serves" isn't really standard language, and we want to convey as much possible in the first line of the lede. How about "Ricardo Azziz is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine?" I know the entry previously used "currently served," but the entry has issues. Implemented
 * This isn't an entry for ASRM, so don't think this should go here.
 * This is heavily POV. The cited NYT articles talk about guideline issues by the ASRM, but not that it is a "leader." In either case, better placed on the ASRM page.
 * Looks good Implemented
 * That line is kinda POV, but since it's already live, I'll leave alone for now Implemented
 * Needs an extra comma and "consolidated" should be "consolidation", but otherwise seems good Implemented
 * Main title change in the Infobox looks good Implemented
 * Second too Implemented
 * Is "position created" a common term? If so, should be hyphenated. If not, shouldn't be used. I won't change for now.
 * Removed preceded Implemented
 * --FeldBum (talk) 23:12, 26 June 2020 (UTC)


 * Also, need third-party sources, not first-party. ASRM.org does not work. I'll see what I can find. --FeldBum (talk) 23:14, 26 June 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, FeldBum.

Thank you for changing the ASRM reference to "Basu, Mihika."


 * 1) Are you still working on the infobox? I was not sure and added suggestions below.
 * 2) This string looks to be open. I will message you for clarification.
 * 3) Infobox:
 * 4) Re #9 above: No, I have not seen "position created" used. The more common is "Founding [position]". In the  Infobox above,"Founding" is substituted for "position created" and the "preceded by:" entry is deleted.
 * 5) "Succeeded by	Position abolished" is deleted; it was redundant with "8th (and last)" in the beginning.
 * 6) "8th (and last)" was changed to "Eighth and Last."
 * 7) Your changes in the first paragraph are good. However they conflate ASRM and SUNY. Can ASRM be separated from SUNY with a two sentence (the first sentence is yours) paragraph like:
 * 8) Ricardo Azziz is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. In March 2020, he presented “Closing the Gaps in PCOS Research” at PCOS Advocacy Day 2020.
 * 9) He is mentioned as ASRM CEO in Business Insider if it is useful to you.
 * 10) Business Insider

Thank you, Dan Martin Memdmarti (talk) 11:32, 27 June 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, Dan Martin Memdmarti (talk) 21:12, 27 June 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, Dan Martin Memdmarti (talk) 03:24, 28 June 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi Dan
 * Still getting to the infobox
 * I changed the lede to better distinguish between current and previous positions. "In March 2020, he presented “Closing the Gaps in PCOS Research” at PCOS Advocacy Day 2020" isn't really appropriate for the lede--if at all--so I didn't add that.
 * I already found a souce--and I don't love BI as a source (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Perennial_sources)
 * -FeldBum (talk) 21:39, 28 June 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, FeldBum. Dan Memdmarti (talk) 03:44, 29 June 2020 (UTC)

He has reactivated his website and asks that it be added. I have added it in the infobox.

Thank you, FeldBum. Dan Memdmarti (talk) 13:05, 3 July 2020 (UTC)


 * Made infobox changes, with some edits. I think all requests have been addressed. --FeldBum (talk) 22:35, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, FeldBum for fixing the Infobox!

New issue Re: violation of Wikipedia's terms of use March 2020

Is the clarification at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ricardo_Azziz#COI_disclosure_-_lhubbard2203a suffient to request removal of the issue "This article may have been created or edited in return for undisclosed payments, a violation of Wikipedia's terms of use. (March 2020)"?

If so, how do I request that?

Thank you, Dan Memdmarti (talk) 23:05, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Memdmarti (talk • contribs) 22:56, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

added signature to new question

Memdmarti (talk) 23:05, 5 July 2020 (UTC)


 * I'll replied on my Talk page too, but here's what you need to do:
 * Clean up the page, removing any POV language, like "significant," "finally," "accomplished" and "thought leader." This isn't a bio crafter by the PR team; it's an Encyclopedia entry. We need to focus on the facts.
 * Clean up the citations. We need third-party sources, not first-party like USG.edu or GRU.edu. No press releases either.
 * Once that's done and we can remove those other two tags, we can tackle the paid tag.
 * Also, at this point, let's put new requests in a new section. And please write them all in the "change X to Y" format. If you have multiple requests, use '#' or '*' to list them out.
 * --FeldBum (talk) 23:10, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, FeldBum!

I will start a new section.

Memdmarti (talk) 23:42, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

On board
This article has considerable issues. I am watchlisting it, and have added it to my To Do list, but it will be a few days before I can get to it. The talk page just above this is quite a mess, which I will not try to decipher. If there are sources that are not incorporated, that I should use, please add them to Further reading-- a new section that would be added just after References. Sandy Georgia (Talk)  13:15, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
 * , thanks for trying to help out here. This article is a considerable mess, which I will rewrite top to bottom as soon as I can properly focus on it -- within a few days.  I am going to ignore anything that went before on this talk page, and just start over.  As is typical for my editing, that will involve a gazillion typos (my hands don't get along with keyboards anymore) that I will then clean up (ten edits for the price of one!), and starting at the bottom of the article, leaving the cleanup of the (ugh) lead til last.  I work in very small increments, so that anyone following my edits can understand the reasoning for each adjustment.  Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  13:26, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
 * if you will allow me several days to clean up the mess that is here, we can later work in any new material that you have sources for. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  13:27, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you, SandyGeorgia! Memdmarti (talk) 14:32, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Sounds good, SandyGeorgia. It could use the work. Tag me in if you need any help. --FeldBum (talk) 18:27, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
 * this is quite a miserable project I took on ... this is the kind of very poor article that paid editing produces. :( I've worked all day, and have not even started to tackle the Career section. But I have tamed the rest-- or at least identified its deficiencies, I hope.  Perhaps you would have a look at this stage, and lend your thoughts?  I will have a go again tomorrow or the next day. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  02:09, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Hey, looks like you did a hell of a job so far. Getting late for me here, but I'll take a look in the morning. --FeldBum (talk) 02:38, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * , gonna dive in. Anything you specifically want me to focus on so I don't overlap your WIP, or should I just go to top to bottom? I'll get started first on obvious fixes. --FeldBum (talk) 12:40, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

Looking at the history of paid and other COI editing here, and at how dreadful the article is (was), I feel like I should be screaming at the top of my lungs that I Am Not A Paid Editor, and have ZERO connection to Azziz or anything related. No POCS, androgen excess issues, although I did have endometriosis. And I did have a work assignment in Uruguay 30 years ago. It will take me quite a few days to finish cleaning this up. Meanwhile, it would be helpful if someone could explain the controversy/POV tag, including reliable sources to back up statements. Sandy Georgia (Talk)  21:28, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

Hey and, started diving in more and I think we need to answer these questions: Thanks --FeldBum (talk) 12:57, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * In general, should we be reverting very resume-ish claims, like anything that begins "Under his leadership" or "In that role?"
 * I want to avoid resume terms like "more than" as well. Do we have a source for how many papers Azziz has authored?
 * Should art be in the lede?
 * I need to get caffeinated this morning and catch up on my watchlist, and then I'll be back here. I have not addressed the Career section at all, and have found many good sources, so I say don't even touch that for now.  On art in the lead ... I believe in doing the lead last.  I had to put something there for now so as not to gut it.  I don't believe it should be in the lead, but would rather rewrite the lead once we have fixed the more obvious.  And, as I have now read almost everything I can find (including through my local library), I feel I can safely say that most of the article had been written from his resume via institutions too closely connected to Azziz, and I am aiming for stricter adherence to secondary and independent sources.  You will see I used his resume to source the dates of his degrees only.  Yes, there are sources for the papers he has authored, and I've semi confirmed them via my own original research. I would like to get the article to a state that tags can be removed, and THEN begin taking on board suggestions from Memdmarti, at the same time providing Memdmarti a more workable format for suggesting changes, so this talk page doesn't get out of control again.  I am hoping Memdmarti will hold off on commentary (other than obvious errors) until we have a better starting version.  (An example of "obvious errors" is that, when one finds the name of his wife dated ten years back, one knows not whether to say he is married, present tense.)  Back later, Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  14:52, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * PS, also per WP:BLP, once we are finished cleaning up, I am going to be suggesting that we move all of the uncited to the talk page; because this article was mostly built on poor sources by paid editors, I don't feel any obligation to keep uncited text in this BLP. So one thing  could be doing meanwhile to help is to inquire whether any independent, third-party sources exist to verify any of the text that is tagged as citation needed.  Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  14:59, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Also, I have located sources to deal with the Augusta controversy mentioned by other editors here on talk. I need to work slowly, per this, because most of the reporters and newspapers from almost all reliable sources are associated with William Morris III via Morris Communications. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  16:36, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you, SandyGeorgia and FeldBum!
 * His 2014 application(?) to become President, University of Nevada, has 269 peer-reviewed and 453 other publications in addition to NIH grants, art awards, etc. The UNLV application(?) is at https://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/page_files/3/Ricardo-Azziz.pdf. I can ask him for a current CV is that is useful.
 * I will look for independent, third-party sources
 * I will keep my comments in Talk until I hear different for you.
 * What is the difference in the action of "User talk:", "User:", and "u|" above?
 * Memdmarti (talk) 18:24, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * No problem
 * In general, we need third-party sources, especially as those will help us focus on what's encyclopedic instead of just being a copy of his CV
 * That's best. Let's discuss things here before any changes
 * u| and User: will both link to a user's, well, user page (and tag them some they get alerts). User talk will link to the user's talk page.
 * Hope that helps --FeldBum (talk) 19:00, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Oops, just read all of this, after moving all the uncited to talk. I am done now with everything except Georgia, which involves some controvery, so I am completely rewriting it in Sandbox.  I am not going to use the UNLV source, since media reports criticizing UNLV for not doing their homework exist.  His application to UNLV is not an independent source.  His current CV will not be useful--  his own CV is already overused in this article.  We need "independent, third-party" sources-- completely unrelated to him or the institutions he serves.  Please do not be guided by what was here, because this article was dreadfully lax in application of Wikipedia's policies and guidelines.  Once we get that corrected, we can see what sources can be used for expansion.  I am rewriting Georgia next, in sandbox, as it's a mess. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  19:25, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Cool - I'll wait for you to finish then I'll dive in. --FeldBum (talk) 19:32, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Done, exhausting, please review and then we can tackle the lead. Sources mention of sex age discrimination lawsuit, but it was dismissed, so I left it out per UNDUE. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  22:58, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Cool - I'll wait for you to finish then I'll dive in. --FeldBum (talk) 19:32, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Done, exhausting, please review and then we can tackle the lead. Sources mention of sex age discrimination lawsuit, but it was dismissed, so I left it out per UNDUE. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  22:58, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

Removed from article, citation needed

 * I am moving all of this text from the article, as I have not located any independent, third-party source to verify this text. Almost all of the sources in the article lead back to connected use of Azziz's resume, rather than independent verification. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  19:04, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

He is the former president and a former board member of the Society of Reproductive Surgeons and he served on the board of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Other past positions include serving as a representative to the Council of Academic Societies of the Association of American Medical Colleges; former chairman of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Advisory Committee on Reproductive Health Drugs; former member of the Reproductive Endocrinology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and member of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board panel for the National Institute of Health/National Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. He serves as senior mentor of the Network of Minority Research Investigators of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Formatting suggestions
might I suggest the following format for suggested changes? First, start a new section for each major proposed change. Next, clearly specify the source used to support the request, the current text, and the proposed change. You might copy the following template to a new section when proposing a change

Name the suggested change in a section heading, for instance, Changes to Awards and honors section
Just copy that format, start a new second-level heading, and sign! Sandy Georgia (Talk)  23:07, 17 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Source [put the url here, then a space, and then list the publisher so we can see it is third party reliable source;] no need to fully format the citation unless we decide to use it.
 * Current text Put the current text here
 * Proposed text Put the proposed text here


 * Hi, SandyGeorgia!


 * I moved this to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Memdmarti


 * Is the notification at that page OK?
 * Memdmarti (talk) 02:44, 18 July 2020 (UTC)

Edits to consider 2
COI: I am a paid intern for ASRM. Please edit the following to the Ricardo Azziz. Edits that were made to this page by myself were made on behalf of Ricardo Azziz.

In the line: "Ricardo Azziz is a Uruguayan–American obstetrician/gynecologist, reproductive endocrinologist and executive administrator who has served as the chief executive officer of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine since 2020."

Please change "has served" to "serves"

In the line: "As of 2020, he serves as the Senior Executive Director"

Please change line to: "He served as Senior Executive Director from 2007 through 2019"

Also, please add: https://ricardoazziz.com as an external source

Thank you,

K. Axelrod / Ksaxelrod (talk) 14:37, 22 July 2020 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the requests.
 * Re, "has served" to "serves", notice that the full sentence is correct: "who has served ... since 2020". If we change to "serves", we breach MOS:CURRENT.
 * Re, " served as Senior executive director from 2007 to 2019", I do not have a source for the 2007, but since you are saying he no longer serves in that capacity, I adjusted the text accordingly. Please get in the habit of citing third-party, independent sources, rather than Azziz's website.
 * Re, adding the External link, I have done that (although it is already in the infobox).
 * Also, please note that we don't need three section headings for one edit request, you shouldn't shout on talk pages by USING ALL CAPITALS, and when you are duplicating a section header, you need to somehow distinguish it ... I have removed the ALL CAPS, removed the two excess section headings, and added a 2 to this section heading.
 * Best regards, Sandy Georgia (Talk)  15:03, 22 July 2020 (UTC)