Dr. Valerie Flores, United States

Dr. Flores is committed to providing compassionate, evidence-based care. Her warm, caring nature and research background enable her to translate reproductive research into clinical practice, ensuring that patients are informed and supported while receiving excellent, innovative care throughout their fertility journey. As the oldest of four children and a member of a large extended family, Dr. Flores understands the importance of building a family and aims to help patients achieve this goal through personalized care.

Originally from Southern California, Dr. Flores completed most of her training on the East Coast. She earned her medical degree from Yale School of Medicine, completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at Brown University, and completed her reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) fellowship at Yale School of Medicine. After fellowship, Dr. Flores remained at Yale as an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and as a K12-funded scholar in the Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded physician-scientist development program. Her research focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis-related pain and infertility to develop novel, personalized treatments for this debilitating condition. This work was inspired by her aunt, who struggled with endometriosis and ultimately conceived through fertility treatment. Seeing the important role her aunt’s physician played in reducing uncertainty after an infertility diagnosis and helping her build a family shaped Dr. Flores’s strong commitment to her own patients. She finds helping patients achieve their family-building goals deeply rewarding and is honored to be part of their fertility journeys. In addition to endometriosis, her clinical interests include in vitro fertilization, infertility, fertility preservation, endometrial disorders such as Asherman syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome.

“Infertility affects 1 in 6 people, and patients often struggle in silence. My mission is to break that silence through compassionate, personalized, evidence-based care. Inspired by my aunt’s infertility journey, I am committed to helping my patients achieve their family-building goals and am truly honored to be part of their fertility journey. Together, let’s make your dream of having a family a reality.”

Dr. Flores has received several research awards, including the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI) Early Career Investigator Award supported by the National Institutes of Health, the SRI/Bayer Discovery Grant, and a Bennack-Polan Foundation grant. She also chairs the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Endometriosis Special Interest Group (EndoSIG). Her work has led to invitations to speak at national and international conferences and medical institutions. Dr. Flores has published peer-reviewed articles in leading scientific journals, including The Lancet, Endocrine Reviews, and JCEM. She is also a contributing author to Speroff’s Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility, a major textbook in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She has contributed to the education of medical students, residents, and fellows. At Yale, she served on the Medical Education Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force and was faculty advisor to the medical student Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group. Dr. Flores is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Flores enjoys spending time with family, singing karaoke, cycling, college football, and exploring new places in San Diego with her Maltipoo, Lulu.