David H. Abbott, PhD

For anyone trying to understand why PCOS happens in the first place, Dr. David H. Abbott at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the most important researchers in the world working on that question. As a Senior Scientist at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and Professor at UW-Madison, Dr. Abbott has spent decades investigating how early androgen exposure during fetal development programs the body's systems in ways that lead to polycystic ovary syndrome later in life.

Using primate models, his laboratory has established foundational evidence that excess androgen exposure in the womb creates lasting changes in the brain, ovaries, and metabolic system — changes that closely mirror what women with PCOS experience. This prenatal androgen model of PCOS has become one of the most influential frameworks in the field, informing research programs worldwide and helping to explain why PCOS cannot simply be dismissed as a lifestyle condition.

While Dr. Abbott is primarily a research scientist rather than a clinical physician, his work provides the scientific foundation that clinicians in Madison and across the globe rely on when caring for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Women and their families who want to understand the biological roots of PCOS — and who want to know that their care is grounded in the best available science — will find Dr. Abbott's contributions to be a source of real clarity and hope in a field that continues to advance rapidly.