OVATION FERTILITY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Laboratory Director at Ovation® Fertility Nashville
• Nashville Laboratory Director
• S Research

Aldo Esterhuizen PhD Has Decades of Experience in the IVF Lab Aldo Esterhuizen PhD is the laboratory director at Ovation® Fertility Nashville. Dr. Esterhuizen joined Ovation in January 2022, bringing nearly four decades of experience in the field of IVF and reproductive science. She uses her background in clinical laboratory direction and reproductive medicine to ensure that our Nashville lab running smoothly so that more patients become parents. Aldo Esterhuizen PhD is an experienced embryologist and lab leader Board certified by the American Association of Bioanalysis as a High Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director and Technical Supervisor, Dr. Esterhuizen came to Ovation from her prior role as laboratory director for Mississippi Reproductive Medicine. In that role, she managed both the embryology and andrology laboratories. She also supervised the Fertility Institute of North Alabama's IVF and andrology labs as an off-site laboratory director. Before moving to the United States and starting work as a senior embryologist and lab manager, she was lab director for Medfem Clinic in Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of positions as a lab director, specialist consultant, senior technologist, head of laboratory, embryologist, senior biomedical scientist and reproductive biomedical scientist, beginning in 1985. A renowned researcher in the field of reproductive science, Dr. Esterhuizen has presented and published her work in respected medical journals and at scientific conferences worldwide. She has worked as a co-supervisor of post-graduate studies for several universities. Additionally, she has organized several conferences and educational events to advance the state of the art in the field of IVF. Dr. Esterhuizen earned her PhD in reproductive biology at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tygerberg, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She attained her Master of Science at University of Pretoria in South Africa. She also earned a Bachelors in Science and a Bachelors Honors in Science degrees from this school. She also holds a diploma in reproduction biology from the South African Medical and Dental Council.

Job Titles:

• Laboratory Director

, HCLD brings a wealth of experience to every procedure that our team performs in our Grand Rapids IVF lab. After completing her undergraduate studies at Iowa State University, Dr. Leisinger earned a Master of Science in comparative and veterinary medicine, with a focus on reproductive physiology, from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She eventually pursued her PhD in biomedical and veterinary medical sciences at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Today, she also serves as the laboratory director of Ovation Fertility Fayette and Baton Rouge. Dr. Leisinger relies on her comprehensive background in reproductive medicine and laboratory direction to oversee laboratory services for female infertility and male infertility. In addition to Dr. Leisinger, the Ovation Fertility Grand Rapids lab team is composed of skilled and knowledgeable embryologists and andrologist who allow partner fertility doctors to conduct effective treatment cycles.

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Laboratory Director
• High Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director
• off - Site Laboratory Director / More Info

As an Ovation® off-site laboratory director, Diane Wright, PhD, HCLD/CC, is responsible for the operation, administration, technical and scientific oversight of the client IVF laboratories under her direction. She advises clients in the employment of personnel who are qualified to perform assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratory procedures; provides training and guidance to each laboratory's team; and records and reports procedural outcomes promptly, accurately and proficiently. In her exemplary career in reproductive science, Dr. Wright has designed, constructed and managed IVF laboratories in both academic hospital and private practice settings, gaining extensive experience with regulatory agency inspections of IVF facilities. Prior to joining Ovation as an off-site laboratory director, Dr. Wright was the founding director of Aspire Fertility Laboratories, where she designed and oversaw construction of three private laboratory facilities. She built these lab operations from the ground up, from selecting equipment to implementing lab practices and protocols, hiring all lab staff, performing lab procedures and successfully completing lab inspections and reviews. Dr. Wright previously served as director of Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center's laboratories for 15 years, where she helped to double the growth of the IVF facility, designed state-of-the-art IVF and andrology laboratories, trained a tight core of embryologists, and maintained high IVF success rates. As an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, she taught countless medical students, residents and fellows the details of the IVF laboratory. She also served on MGH's Partners Human Research Committee (IRB), the MGH Tissue Banking Committee, and the Division's Ethics and Quality Assurance Committees. Additionally, Dr. Wright spent three of these years serving as an off-site laboratory director for the IVF and andrology/endocrinology laboratories at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, supporting The Infertility and Reproductive Medicine Center. Dr. Wright earned her undergraduate degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University in College Station, then went on to earn a Master of Science degree in physiology of reproduction from the same university. She then earned a PhD in biomedical sciences at one of the early outstanding entities for IVF embryology training in the United States, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, associated with Eastern Virginia Medical School/Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. This was the same program responsible for the first IVF child born in the United States in 1981, and during this time, Dr. Wright was able to train under one of the premier experts in human micromanipulation, Susan E. Lanzendorf, Ph.D. Dr. Wright's area of research investigation centers on efforts to improve clinical outcomes in the field of IVF, with special research emphasis on methods to successfully preserve frozen oocytes and embryos. Her research has been published in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals, and she serves as an ad hoc reviewer for several fertility-related publications. Dr. Wright has been a certified High Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD) since 2001, and began her career as an embryologist with the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Program at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. Diane Wright, PhD, HCLD/CC, is at the helm of Ovation Fertility Cincinnati. As the off-site laboratory director, Dr. Wright supervises all the highly technical laboratory procedures, including IVF, ICSI, egg and embryo freezing, and diagnostic testing. Dr. Wright's background includes earning a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Texas A&M University. She then earned a doctorate from the university associated with the first IVF lab in the United States, The Jones Institute of Reproductive Medicine. Her PhD graduate experience with Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University formed the foundational knowledge for the start of her directorship experience in Boston and faculty experience with Harvard Medical School. Throughout her impressive career, Dr. Wright has designed and managed IVF laboratories in both academic hospitals and private practices. As a result, she has extensive experience with everything from successfully completing regulatory agency inspections of IVF facilities to overseeing the daily operations of an IVF lab.

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Fertility™ Las Vegas Laboratory Director
• Las Vegas Laboratory Director

Dr. Martha Aguirre was born and raised in Colombia. She earned her bachelor of science degree in biology from the Universidad De Los Andes in Bogota. Dr. Aguirre then moved to Minnesota, where she earned both her master's degree in science and PhD in reproductive physiology with an emphasis in cryobiology from the University of Minnesota. In addition to impressive academic credentials, Dr. Aguirre is certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis as a high complexity laboratory director and as a clinical consultant. She is a member of the American Association of Blood Banks, the American Association for Reproductive Medicine and the American Board of Bioanalysis. For the last decade, Dr. Aguirre has also been an inspector for the College of American Pathologists. Experience Contributes to Successful IVF Outcomes Dr. Aguirre has decades of experience establishing IVF labs and working as a laboratory director in IVF labs across the country. She also has performed several clinical studies that have contributed to groundbreaking developments in human reproduction. Dr. Aguirre has co-authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles in various journals, including Cryobiology International Journal, Fertility and Sterility, and Theriogenology. As the Ovation Fertility™ Las Vegas laboratory director, Dr. Aguirre oversees all laboratory operations. This includes the andrology, clinical, cord blood bank, embryology and genetics laboratories. She also holds all laboratory accreditations from CAP, CLIA, FDA and the State of Nevada. Dr. Aguirre is devoted to her life's work and commits to ensure that infertility patients benefit from the best that reproductive medicine has to offer.

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Indianapolis Laboratory Director
• Laboratory Director at Ovation® Fertility Indianapolis

Glen Adaniya PhD is the laboratory director at Ovation® Fertility Indianapolis. He earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University, and he completed his graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There, he received a master's of science and a PhD in biomedical engineering.

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Austin and San Antonio Laboratory Director
• Author

Dr. Kaskar then worked as a chief IVF technician in Saudi Arabia to help set up an IVF laboratory in the National Guard Hospital before moving to the United States. Once there, he worked as an embryologist in Kentucky and then Texas. He then served as the IVF laboratory manager and later the IVF laboratory director for the Family Fertility Center. He is also an assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Khalied Kaskar, PhD is the author of many publications and abstracts, including research on optimizing blastocyst development using different media and culture conditions, and analyzing culture media for biomarkers to predict implantation potential of embryos, and embryo time-lapse morphokinetics. Khalied Kaskar, PhD is an active member of numerous professional societies He is a member of the American Association of Bioanalysts (ABB) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Dr. Kaskar is also certified as a High Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD).

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Vice President of Scientific Advancement

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Associate Lab Director of Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Associate Lab Director
• Member of ASA, CFAS

Nagham Younis, PhD, is a member of ASA, CFAS, ESHRE, JSFG, MEFS and ASRM. She has been involved with IVF since 1996. Dr. Younis brings her extensive knowledge in the infertility field, along with her research and publishing background, to her position as Ovation® Fertility associate lab director at our Grand Rapids location. Dr. Younis earned her PhD in reproductive physiology, which was a collaborative work between the University of Jordan and the University of Pittsburgh. In her PhD thesis in Pittsburgh, she worked with one of the premier researchers in fertility preservation, Dr. Kyle Orwig. Her work focused on how to preserve male children's fertility before they begin gonadotoxic therapy. Dr. Younis presented her recent PhD research regarding "In Vitro Spermatogenesis From Immature Testicular Tissues of Pediatric Patients Cryopreserved Before Gonadotoxic Therapy" at the annual meeting of the Middle East Fertility Society in 2021, the Tri-Repro Symposium on Reproductive Biology and Infertility; the Oncofertility Consortium in 2022, and the Annual Conference of the American Society of Andrology in 2022. This pediatric research is very important to Dr. Younis, who says, "These little boys deserve a chance to preserve their future fertility. The treatment they will be going through is very, very toxic to their fertility and can almost destroy any hope they have of becoming parents in the future."

Job Titles:

• Lab Director

Nirvika Singh Sharma, MS, ELD (ABB), MBBS, ELS, ALS, is the associate lab director of the Ovation Fertility San Antonio IVF lab, overseeing IVF, embryology and andrology operations while helping to ensure lab safety and compliance. An ELD board certified IVF lab director, Dr. Singh has served as an IVF lab director, team leader, lab manager and senior embryologist in both the United States and India. She is multilingual, with fluency in English, Hindi and Punjabi.

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Cincinnati Lab Director

Job Titles:

• Lab Director
• Fort Worth Laboratory Director
• High Complexity Laboratory Director

With nearly two decades of experience in assisted reproduction technology (ART), Tonya Ferguson, PhD, HCLD, is the lab director leading the expert team of andrologists and embryologists at Ovation® Fertility Fort Worth. A certified High Complexity Laboratory Director, Dr. Ferguson is dedicated to fostering excellence in both outcomes and patient care experiences. Her commitment to helping people accomplish their family-building goals has been evident throughout her career as an embryologist and laboratory team leader. Her areas of special scientific expertise include IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), testicular and epididymal sperm preparation, cryopreservation of reproductive specimens and trophectoderm biopsy. Dr. Ferguson also has extensive experience in development and maintenance of quality assurance and quality control programs, CAP and FDA regulations, and Lean Six Sigma techniques.