Part 2 – IVF, Infertility, and the Christian Conscience with Dr. Ward McClellan
Guest Dr. Ward McClellan and first-time co-host Dr. John G. Pierce join host Dr. Mike Chupp for Part 2 of a conversation about infertility and in vitro fertilization. As a reproductive endocrinologist, OB-GYN, and follower of Christ, Dr. McClellan brings both clinical expertise and biblical conviction to this topic. Dr. Pierce, CMDA’s Vice President of Missions and Medical Education and Chair of Women’s Health at LUCOM, is board-trained in both Internal Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, bringing decades of clinical and academic experience to the discussion. Together with Dr. Chupp, they explore how Christian healthcare professionals can navigate the ethical complexities of IVF, uphold the dignity of every human life, and care well for couples facing infertility while remaining faithful to Christ in a rapidly evolving field of medicine.
If you’re facing an ethical or advocacy concern, you can find CMDA’s ethics resources and position statements at cmda.org/ethics, and you can reach our team at [email protected] for guidance, including support when conscience rights are at stake.
Registration is booming for the 2026 CMDA National Convention, happening April 23–26 in Loveland, Colorado, and now is a great time to secure your spot! Join us for a meaningful time to renew your spirit, recharge your faith, and connect with fellow believers in healthcare. Learn more and register today at natcon.cmda.org.
Video Podcast:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Ward McClellan, MD
Dr. McClellan follows Jesus. He has been blessed with a beautiful wife and five children. He is a member of Sandhills Presbyterian Church (CREC) in Southern Pines, North Carolina and is a practicing Reproductive Endocrinologist. He has been a CMDA member since 2010. Dr. McClellan received his M.D. from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2014. After completing OB/GYN residency in Hawaii, he practiced as an OB/GYN for 4 years at a large community hospital in Colorado. During that time, he received the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Branch’s Outstanding Clinical Teaching Award for OB/GYN in 2020-2021. Dr. McClellan served as Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at his hospital during his final year in Colorado before moving to New York to complete fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He currently lives in North Carolina where he practices medicine as a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Dr. McClellan is passionate about the sanctity of human life and advancing women’s healthcare. His clinical interests include recurrent pregnancy loss, recurrent implantation failure, and infertility.
Guest Host:
John G. Pierce Jr., MD, is Chairman of Women’s Health at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) and practices Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women’s Health Services of Central Virginia in Lynchburg, VA.
Dr. Pierce completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Carolinas Medical Center, then completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency at the University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville. He was a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University for 16 years, serving as the Ob/Gyn Clerkship Director for nine years and Program Director for the Ob/Gyn Residency for three years. He moved to Lynchburg, VA in 2015 to be part of the founding faculty for Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine where he designed the women’s health curriculum, serves as the Clerkship Director, and has been the Chairman of Surgical Services and Women’s Health. He continues to practice general obstetrics and gynecology, serves on the CMDA Board of Trustees, leads the PAACS Ob Gyn Council, and is the current Chair of the CMDA Ob Gyn Section. He has been married to his wife Nicole for 29 years and they have four children ages 16 to 26 years old.
