Physicians
Andrew Blazar, MD, is an associate clinical professor who received his medical degree from Tufts University. He joined the Division of Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Women & Infants in 1994. Prior to that time, he was in private practice at Ob-Gyn Associates in Providence and was a team chief at Women & Infants. Dr. Blazar was the first Director of the Infertility Clinic and spent a year as a fellow in reproductive endocrinology at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. His areas of research interest include diagnosis and management of infertility, in vitro fertilization and hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women.
John E. Buster, MD, is the associate division director at Women & Infants' Center for Reproduction and Infertility at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston. He earned his medical degree from the University of California at the Los Angeles School of Medicine where he also completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology and fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and reproductive endocrinology, he is a professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Buster's clinical practice focuses on infertility, assisted reproductive technology, reproductive surgery, and menopausal hormone replacement. He has special expertise and has earned international recognition for his work in preimplantation embryology, ectopic pregnancy, and female hormone replacement.
Gary Frishman, MD, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and attended medical school at Columbia University in New York City. Following this, he completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Connecticut in Farmington. Dr. Frishman joined the Division of Endocrinology Reproductive and Infertility at Women & Infants in 1991. Dr. Frishman's research interests include laparoscopy, post-operative adhesion formation, the effects of various energy delivery sources including lasers and electrocautery, menopause and infertility, including in vitro fertilization. He is also actively involved in resident and medical student education and research.
Kelly Pagidas, MD, is a medical school graduate from McGill University, Montreal, Canada. She completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at McGill University, followed by a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at McGill. Upon completion of her fellowship, Dr. Pagidas joined the faculty of McGill University in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Pagidas joined the Center for Reproduction and Infertility at Women & Infants Hospital in 1998. Dr. Pagidas has been involved in both undergraduate and graduate medical education at McGill. Her research interests include endometriosis, ovarian physiology, and IVF outcomes.
Beth J. Plante, MD, received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA, where she received the American Medical Women's Association Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Citation. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Plante's clinical interests include premature ovarian failure, fertility preservation, in vitro fertilization, and endocrine disorders of puberty and adolescence.
Carol Wheeler, MD, earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. She did her residency training in obstetrics at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and her fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the Hospital of the Univesity of Pennsylvania. She is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology. Her research interests include in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes, endometriosis and menopause.
Jared C. Robins, MD, received his undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and attended medical school at the SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine in New York. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Following fellowship, Dr. Robins join the faculty at the University of Cincinnati and was a Women's Reproductive Health Research Scholar through the National Institutes of Health. His clinical interests include all aspects of reproductive endocrinology including sexual health, menopause and infertility. His research interests involve studying the mechanisms involved in implantation and embryo development.
Psychologist
Emily Spurrell, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Yale University and completed post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School. She is currently an assistant clinical professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the staff psychologist at the department of reproductive endocrinology at Women & Infants Hospital. Her areas of specialization and research are eating disorders and infertility.
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Jeannine Witmyer, PhD, (IVF Lab Director)
Richard Hackett, MS (IVF Manager) - Richard started the IVF Laboratory at Women and Infants Hospital in 1986 and has worked here ever since. He perform the in vitro fertilization for the first IVF baby in Rhode Island and has been part of over 10,000 more IVF cycles. Richard has brought many new procedures to the IVF laboratory and has kept the laboratory on the cutting edge of technology. His main research interests have been with steroid hormones and oocyte structure. Richard has been an author on many abstracts, papers and book chapters. Richard obtained his Masters in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Rhode Island. |
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| Cryogenic Coordinator |
| Theresa Correia |
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| Embryologists |
Pragati Bhowmick Susan Casey Julie Labreche Linda Sousa |
Benning Cao Monique Demello Deborah Pierce |
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Nursing Staff |
| Nurse Manager |
| Lori Kelly, RN, BSN - joined the Center for Reproductive and Infertility as a nurse manager in January 2005. She has been with Women & Infants for many years, she has nursing experience in the NICU, as Administrative Director in the Infant Development Center, and served for 5 plus years as Nursing Supervisor to the entire hospital. She holds a BSN from Rhode Island College. |
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| Registered Nurses |
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Susan Bacon, RN Jeanne Caldarone, RN Linda Campbell, RN Lise Cousineau-McParlin, RN Rebecca Enright, RN Barbara Dockray, RN Constance Ferland, RN Deirdre Forte, RN Jessica Lusignan, RN |
Lisa Kondvar, RN Angela Matarese, RN Sue McLinden, RN Hithenias Merlino, RN Barbara Oliveira, RN Susan Pearson, RN Diane Sharkey, RN Susan Zullo-Byrne, RN |
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| Egg Donor Nurses |
| Nancy Donahue, RN |
Kimberely Cotter, RN |
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| Nurse Midwife |
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Lynn Browning, CNM |
| Administrative Staff |
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Administrative Assistants Mary Gervais Sherri Quental Rosemary Rego |
Senior Division Business Manager George Conduragis |
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| IVF Coordinator |
| Meredith Furlong |
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| Patient Services Assistants |
| Donna Lomax |
Carolyn Petty |
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| IVF Secretaries / Financial Schedule Coordinators |
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Judith Cimni Maureen Dalpe Gina Faria Jean Manfredi Loretta Quattrucci Gloria Sears |
Carol Curtin Teresa Deluca Elizabeth Fontes Caitlin Murphy Diane Riberio |
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Operations Coordinator Nicole Robinson |
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What to Expect When Infertility Treatment Begins
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