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Medically reviewed by Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS - Written by CHR Staff - Updated on Apr 11, 2021

CHR Physicians, Staff & Affiliates

Our Internationally Recognized Infertility Physicians

Two internationally recognized specialists in reproductive endocrinology and infertility currently represent the full-time medical staff of CHR. Norbert Gleicher, MD, CHR’s founder, serves as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. He is a widely recognized expert in the specialty but is also well known for his expertise in reproductive immunology and gyneco-radiology, two sub-specialty areas he helped establish. He served as the founding editor-in-chief of the American Journal of ReproductivJolanta e Immunology and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, the latter now under the editorship of Dr. David Albertini, CHR's Visiting Senior Scientist. In recognition of Dr. Gleicher’s many contributions to in vitro fertilization (IVF), he in 2009 was invited to give the Patrick Steptoe Memorial Lecture to the British Fertility Society, one of the specialty's greatest honors. He is also a recipient of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art.

David H. Barad, MD, MS, is a Senior Scientist and Director of Clinical ART at CHR. He joined CHR after serving as head of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York for over 10 years. He also served as a senior investigator at the NIH's Women’s Health Initiative.

With over 400 peer-reviewed publications as author or co-author, Dr. Gleicher is one of the most widely published physicians in the specialty. Similarly, Dr. Barad has greatly contributed to the literature with over 150 publications.

What really differentiates CHR’s physicians from many other practitioners in the field, however, is their equal dedication to clinical care and research. It is this unique combination that characterizes CHR. As new research is developed and applied to clinical care, clinical care improves. As clinical care improves, the word gets out and the demand for clinical care increases. This interdependency of clinical care and research, unique for a free-standing private fertility center, catapulted CHR in a few short years into the position of an internationally recognized clinical and research center in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Norbert Gleicher, MD

Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS

Medical Director & Chief Scientist

Click here to view Dr. Gleicher’s CV

Dr. Norbert Gleicher founded the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in 1981, after completing his residency at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and holding top academic and administrative positions in various academic institutions in New York and Chicago. Always keen on simultaneously pursuing clinical care and research, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed medical journal articles, abstracts and book chapters, in addition to editing textbooks that are now regarded as classics. For a complete biography of Dr. Gleicher, please click here.

David Barad, MD

David Barad, MD, MS, FACOG

Director of Clinical ART & Senior Scientist

Dr. David H Barad joined CHR in 2003. After completing his residency at the Sloane Hospital for Women of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, Dr. Barad served as Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Montefiore Medical Center and taught at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Among other research interests in the field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Dr. Barad has been involved in the Women's Health Initiative on the landmark menopause study. For a complete biography of Dr. Barad, please click here.

 

CHR Staff

 Division of Laboratories

Lin Zhang, MD

Lin Zhang, MD

Embryology Laboratory Supervisor for Administrative

Dr. Zhang speaks Mandarin. View Dr. Zhang's CV.

David Albertini, PhD

David Albertini, PhD

Visiting Senior Scientist

Dr. Albertini is an internationally recognized scientist and educator in the field of reproductive biology and medicine. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. Before joining CHR, he held The Hall Professorship of Molecular Medicine at the University of Kansas and served as Director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center, at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics (JARG), an official journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed original research papers, over 50 chapters and reviews, and one book. He, in addition, serves on the editorial board of additional major journals. His major research contributions have been in the cell and developmental biology of mammalian reproduction, particularly in oogenesis, and the translation of basic science to improvements in oocyte and embryo quality in human assisted reproductive technologies. He has trained over 40 students and postdocs, and routinely serves on grant review committees for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, American Cancer Society, National Foundation March of Dimes, The Lalor Foundation and funding agencies from Israel, Ireland, The Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium, Portugal and the U.K. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. View Dr. Albertini's CV.

Cari Nicholas

Cari Nicholas-Farrell, PhD, MS

Embryology Laboratory Supervisor for Clinical & Scientist

 Research

Andrea Weghofer, MD

Andrea Weghofer, MD, PhD, MBA, MS

Visiting Associate Scientist

After graduating from Medical University Vienna, Dr. Weghofer is currently Associate Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical University Vienna, where she concentrates on In Vitro Fertilization and Reproductive Genetics. Dr. Weghofer has maintained a close research relationship with CHR for many years, where she also visits in regular intervals. She is, therefore, very familiar with CHR's clinical and research protocols and actively participates in some clinical trials.

Ali H Brivanlou, PhD

Ali H Brivanlou, PhD

Senior Visiting Fellow

After receiving a master’s degree from the Université des Sciences du Languedoc in Montpellier, France, Dr. Brivanlou went on to earn a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley, in 1990, and then moved to Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Melton. He joined the Rockefeller faculty in 1994, was appointed a professor in 2000, and was named the Heilbrunn Professor in 2007. Since 2012, he has also held an adjunct position at Columbia University, where he teaches workshops about Vital Design—Embryology, Architecture, and Innovation. Dr. Brivanlou has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists, a Klingenstein Fellowship, a Searle Scholar Award, and numerous other honors. He is a member of the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), California’s stem cell agency. Dr. Brivanlou is a Senior Visiting Fellow at CHR.

Min Yang (Mia), PhD

Min Yang (Mia), PhD

Junior Scientist

Dr. Yang received her PhD in animal reproduction and molecular genetics from Utah State University in 2017 with the research focus on the oocyte quality. She joined CHR as Junior Scientist in 2019, while maintaining her Postdoctoral Associate position in the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology at the Rockefeller University. Her research interest lies in the molecular events and cellular interactions that regulate the early embryonic development. Dr. Yang’s ongoing projects include the generation and maturation of human primordial germ cells through the use of human embryonic stem cells. The successful completion of this study will not only further our basic understanding of germ line differentiation, but also inevitably have a strong impact in advancing reproductive medicine and IVF technology.

Shizuko Takahashi, MD

Shizuko Takahashi, MD, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Dr. Takahashi received BA from Reed College in Molecular Biology and Fine Arts in 1997. She then attended medical school at Tokai University, School of Medicine, and obtained her MD in 2002. After residency at the Japanese Red Cross Hospital and the University of Tokyo Hospital, in OBGYN, she studied at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine in both the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biomedical Ethics. She received her PhD in 2010 and her dissertation was on the decision-making process of fate of frozen embryos. Her works have been published in BMC Medical Ethics, Lancet, BMJ, and Genetics in Medicine. She has given lectures at the University of Tokyo and also teaches at the Sherwin B. Nuland Summer Institute in Bioethics at Yale every summer.

Lyka Mochizuki, MS

Lyka Mochizuki, MS

Research Associate

Lyka Mochizuki, MSc, grew up in Japan and in the Philippines and is, therefore, fluent in Tagalog, Japanese and English. Upon arriving in New York City, she completed her undergraduate studies in International Business summa cum laude at Berkley College, at which time she joined CHR for the first time in the marketing department, while concomitantly taking advanced singing classes at Julliard School of Music. She was then accepted into the prestigious Master of Science Program in Negotiations and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, from where she graduated cum laude in 2019. During the 2018/2019 academic senior year, she spent a mandated externship at the not-for-profit Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, where she was tasked with conducting a formal conflict resolution analysis on a highly controversial issue in infertility practice, the so-called preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (i.e., chromosomal abnormalities) of embryos prior to their transfer into the uterus (PGT-A). Her externship not only produced a detailed report with concluding recommendations for the Board of the Foundation but also to acceptance of a formal paper by a prestigious medical journal in the fertility field, *Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics*. It was this achievement that led CHR to re-employ Ms. Mochizuki after graduation, this time in the function of research associate, with the mandate to further explore the conflict surrounding PGT-A during a one-year research fellowship. CHR investigators have had a long-standing interest in PGT-A and have been essential contributors to the medical literature on the subject.

 Division of Statistics

Sarah Darmon, PhD

Sarah Darmon, PhD, MS

Senior Statistician & Assistant Scientist

Sarah Darmon, PhD, MS, completed a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2012 at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, with a thesis characterizing a bioinformatically novel mRNA element, using RNA processing and protein analysis techniques. After completing an additional master’s degree in biostatistics at Drexel University, she joined CHR's Statistics Section in February 2015 as Senior Statistician and Assistant Scientist. Dr. Darmon has been the recipient of various research awards, published several scientific papers and presented at scientific meetings. View Dr. Darmon’s CV.

 Clinical Services

Huina Zhou

Huina Zhou

Clinical Coordinator

Huina speaks Mandarin.

Maria Daskalakis

Maria Daskalakis

Clinical Coordinator

Maria Speaks Greek.

Ludmila Paunovic

Ludmila Paunovic

Medical Assistant

Ludmila Speaks Romanian and Russian.

Aliyah Yusuff

Aliyah Yusuff

Care Coordinator

Ilayda Kargoz

Ilayda Kargoz

Medical Assistant

Shuan-Yu Chen

Nurse Coordinator

 Administration

Jolanta Tapper-Tyszko

Jolanta Tapper-Tyszko

Chief Operating Officer

Jolanta speaks Polish.

Monika Dzienisik

Monika Dzienisik

Assistant Administrator

Monika speaks Polish.

Jerzy Lapies

Jerzy Lapies

IT Consultant

Jerzy speaks Polish.

Keren Flores

Keren Flores

Personal Assistant

Keren speaks Spanish.

Erin Maldonado

Erin Maldonado

Patient Account Coordinator

Diana Zoicas

Data Entry Clerk

Micah Elias

Micah Elias

Research Assistant

Kayla Pumarejo

Patient Account Executive

 Marketing

Alexandra Rata

Alexandra speaks Russian and Romanian.

Carson Bunting

Carson Bunting

Please see our Careers at CHR page for open positions.

Affiliate Service Providers

To provide our patients a convenient one-stop treatment experience, CHR has teamed up with local independent contractors with expertise related to the treatment of infertility, including anesthesiology, urology, psychology, genetics and acupuncture. In addition, to accommodate our growing patient population from overseas, CHR is actively seeking to partner with independent reproductive endocrinology and infertility physicians in various countries. As we expand our network of medical service providers, this listing will expand.

 Physician Affiliates - International

Peter Hermann, MD

Peter Hermann, MD, Spanish Representative

Dr. Hermann represents CHR in Spain. He lives and works on the beautiful island of Mallorca, just a short plane ride away from Spain’s mainland, where his practice center, IVF-International, is located. He grew up in Germany, where he initially studied chemistry, and later medicine, at universities of Konstanz, Marburg and Tübingen and in Italy at the historical university of Ferrara and graduated in 1983 in medicine from the prestigious Eberhard-Karls-Universität in Tübingen, Germany. After completing his specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, he founded what became for almost 20 years Stuttgart’s (Germany) largest practice in the field, specializing, amongst other areas, in reproductive endocrinology, infertility and microsurgery. In 1996 he started his own IVF Center in Esslingen, Germany, which in 2005 led to an offer by Europe’s IVF leader, IVI in Valencia, Spain, to join their operations. He then moved to another Spanish market leader, Instituto Bernabeau in Alicante, and only very recently founded IVF-International as his own, independent endeavor. IVF International specializes in supervising and directing difficult infertility cases to appropriately qualified IVF centers all over Europe. In seeking out special expertise for some of his patients, Dr. Hermann contacted CHR and started directing some of these patients to CHR’s New York City center. In the process he repeatedly visited CHR and familiarized himself in detail with CHR’s protocols. This detailed familiarity with CHR operations in the summer of 2009 then led to his appointment as CHR’s representative in Spain.

Koji Aoki, MD

Koji Aoki, MD

Recurrent Miscarriage Specialist, Japan

Dr. Koji Aoki is the foremost specialist of research and treatment of recurrent miscarriages in Japan. In the last three decades, Dr. Aoki has treated more than 4,000 patients suffering from recurrent miscarriages, providing both physical and psychological support. Aoki Ladies Clinic, which he founded in 2008 in Nagoya, is the first clinic in Japan that specializes in recurrent miscarriages.

Andrea Weghofer, MD

Andrea Weghofer, MD, PhD, MSc, MBA

Representative for German-Speaking Countries

Andrea Weghofer, MD, PhD, MSc, MBA, was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, where she graduated from Vienna University Medical School. She obtained her PhD as the first graduate of the Medical University's Reproductive Endocrinology Program. During residency at the Medical University in Vienna and fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Genetics at Yale University in New Haven, her research efforts were concentrated on ovarian function, premature ovarian aging (POA) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). In 2008, Dr. Weghofer was appointed Associate Professor at the Medical University Vienna. In 2009, she also graduated with an MBA degree in Health Care Management. Dr. Weghofer has maintained a close research relationship with CHR for many years, where she also visits in regular intervals. She is, therefore, very familiar with CHR's clinical and research protocols and actively participates in some clinical trials. She has contributed a large number of peer reviewed papers to the literature, many in cooperation with CHR investigators. Independently, she also has won a number of national and international awards for her scientific work. She currently works as a full-time attending faculty physician at the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine at the Medical University Vienna, where she concentrates on In Vitro Fertilization and Reproductive Genetics.

 Physician Affiliates - New York

Steven M Alfond, MD

Steven M Alfond, MD

Anesthesiologist

Dr. Alfond earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and completed his residency in anesthesiology at New York University Medical Center. After serving as Co-Director of Department of Anesthesiology at Astoria General Hospital for seven years, he currently serves as Director of Alfond Ambulatory Anesthesia, as well as attending physician at St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital. Dr. Alfond has been certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology since 1995. Beside English, he is proficient in Spanish and German.

Bob Berookhim, MD

Bob Berookhim, MD

Urologist

Dr. Bob Berookhim is an assistant professor of urology at Lenox Hill Hospital, focusing on male reproductive medicine and microsurgery. He received his medical degree after completing a highly competitive accelerated medical program at the Boston University School of Medicine. He went on to do his residency training in urology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and has completed prestigious fellowships in Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery both at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and at the Weill Cornell Medical Center. He has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals, is the author of a number of textbook chapters, and has presented over 30 abstracts at national conferences. His practice is focused on the management of male factor infertility, including varicoceles, vasectomy reversal and microdissection testicular sperm extraction, as well as other men’s health issues.

 Non-Physician Affiliates – China

Guangzhou WECARE Medical Technology, Co., LTD

China Affiliate

Guangzhou WECARE Medical Technology, a company that specializes in facilitating medical care in the United States for Chinese citizens from all over China, has been CHR’s affiliate for China since May 2015. CHR is the U.S. provider of fertility services for the clients of Guangzhou WECARE Medical Technology.

Angel Health

China Affiliate

Angel Health is a company that provide concierge services for residents of China to access advanced medical care in the United States. Angel Health has been CHR’s affiliate for China and Hong Kong since 2017. CHR is the US provider of fertility services for Angel Health clients.

 Non-Physician Affiliates - Acupuncture, US

Guoping Zheng, PhD

Guoping Zheng, PhD, OMD

Acupuncturist

Guoping Zheng PhD, OMD, is the Founder and Director of The Center for Natural Fertility and Women’s Health located in New York City. She is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist and master herbalist specializing in infertility and general women’s health. Dr Zheng was the first person to earn a doctoral degree in the field of reproductive endocrinology of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China and has over 25 years of experience in this field. The Center provides acupuncture and herbal therapy for women seeking a natural pregnancy or planning to use assisted reproductive techniques such as IUI and IVF. The clinic, conveniently located near Columbus Circle in Manhattan, is one of the few in the U.S. that is completely devoted to infertility treatment and women’s health using acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy. Dr. Guoping Zheng 2 West 45th Street, Ste 500 New York, NY 10036 Tel: 212-581-1228

 Non-Physician Affiliates - Travel Agents, New York

Judy Freund

Judy Freund

Travel Agent, Judy’s World

Judy's World Inc, headed by Judy Freund, opened in 1987. Judy's combination of business acumen and her vast knowledge through traveling in many parts of the world enticed her to open her own travel agency, Judy's World, in New York City. Judy's World is proud of its commitment to provide the finest personalized service, highlighted with meticulous attention to details. Judy's World is unique in our ability to satisfy the most discerning and demanding traveler. Confidential client profiles are maintained for each traveler. Our creative pricing structure enables us to offer each client the most convenient and cost-effective ways to travel both in economy and business/first class. At Judy's World, it's not just a job. We enjoy what we do. We take care of the details, so our clients have the peace of mind to take care of their own business. Please contact Judy via email: judys-world@att.net

 

Norbert Gleicher, MD

Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS

Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.

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Location

Center for Human Reproduction
21 E 69th Street
Upper East Side

New York, NY 10021
Phone: 626-385-7918
Fax: 212-994-4499

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