Susan Conway, M.D., M.P.H, M.M.SC, F.A.C.O.G.
In March 2004, Dr. Conway became the newest member of the medical team at Georgia Reproductive Specialists. She came to GRS from the Center for Fertility and Reproductive Endocrinology at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle and also previously practiced at the Center for Reproductive Medicine of New Mexico.
Dr. Conway earned her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. She also holds a Masters of Public Health in epidemiology and a Masters of Medical Science in clinical microbiology from Emory. Her OB/Gyn residency training was completed at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and she completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Fletcher Allen Health Center at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. During her fellowship, Dr. Conway's research interests included the immunology of endometriosis, early pregnancy loss and ectopic pregnancies.
She is an associate member of the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Conway enjoys literature, gardening, hiking, skiing and gourmet cooking.
Carolyn R. Kaplan, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
Dr. Kaplan, M.D., board certified in reproductive endocrinology, is the director of in vitro fertilization for GRS. She is the former director of the IVF program at the Emory Clinic and is an assistant clinical professor at Emory University School of Medicine. Prior to relocating to the East Coast, Dr. Kaplan was a member of the IVF committees at UCLA and Century City Hospitals in Los Angeles.
A graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, Dr. Kaplan completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She specializes in the initial diagnosis of infertility, egg donation cases, alternative approaches to the control of menopause and the holistic approach to infertility treatment.
She was a principal investigator for several studies of hormonal efficacy and has authored numerous articles in medical journals and textbook chapters. Dr. Kaplan speaks frequently at community and professional seminars about reproductive health issues focusing on infertility treatments and their side effects, IVF, ovulation induction, hormone therapies and their uses, and menopause. In Atlanta, she serves on the advisory board of the Georgia chapter of RESOLVE, the board of directors for the Feminist Women's Health Center and is active with the Atlanta Women's Medical Alliance.
Dr. Kaplan has two sons and enjoys outdoor activities including gardening, walking and camping.
Click here to read Dr. Kaplan's Curriculum Vitae.
Mark Perloe, M.D.
As medical director at GRS, Dr. Perloe has above-average success rates in achieving pregnancies through advanced reproductive technologies, as well as expertise in treating polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), recurrent pregnancy loss, endometriosis, menstrual disorders, fibroids, and endocrine and other reproductive health problems. He also has extensive experience using the latest microsurgical techniques for reversing tubal sterilization.
A clinical assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Perloe completed his fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Minnesota. He holds an MD degree from the Pennsylvania State University, Hershey Medical Center and served his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Perloe has conducted and published research in medical journals including
Obstetrics & Gynecology, Southern Medical Journal and the International
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 1986, he co-authored Miracle
Babies and Other Happy Endings for Couples with Fertility Problems, a revised
copy of which is on the GRS website, http://www.ivf.com/tocmb.html.
He served as consultant and task force member to the Women's Initiative of the American International Health Association and was active in establishing the first approved endoscopy training center in the former Soviet Union at the Russian National Institute of Women's Health in St. Petersburg. He has served as a medical consultant for sigma-tau Pharmaceuticals, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, Ovusoft and iVillage.com. Dr. Perloe is a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, the International Society of Pelvic Pain, and several state and local medical associations. He has also served on the advisory board for the Atlanta chapter of RESOLVE, and presently serves on the national advisory boards of INCIID, OBGYN.net, the Endometriosis Association, and PCOS Support.
He is married, has two children, and enjoys theatre, playing with computers, sailing and traveling.
Click here to read Dr. Perloe's Curriculum Vitae.
Michael J. Tucker, PH.D., F.I. BIOL., H.C.L.D.
As scientific director at GRS, Dr. Tucker is widely known and respected for his breakthrough achievements in assisted reproductive technology. A clinical embryologist since 1983, Dr. Tucker pioneered the first intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) birth in the United States, the nationšs first testicular biopsy baby, the world's first birth from frozen donor eggs and from immature eggs that were matured after thawing in the IVF lab. His blastocyst techniques have substantially improved IVF pregnancy rates while reducing the risk of multiple births.
Since 1983, Dr. Tucker has served as scientific director and chief embryologist at major fertility centers in London, Hong Kong, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Rockville, MD, and Jackson, MS. He has been a scientific consultant in more than 50 clinics worldwide. An adjunct professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Alabama Medical School in Birmingham, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and written 28 book chapters. His current research interests include preimplantation genetic diagnosis, egg and embryo freezing, blastocyst cultures, embryo growth and selection, and gamete/embryo micromanipulation.
Dr. Tucker is a zoology and physiology graduate of the University of London Bedford College. He earned a doctorate in reproductive physiology from the University of Birmingham in the UK and is a fellow of London's Royal Institute of Biology.
Recognized in his field as one of the world's top ten scientists in early
human reproduction, Dr. Tucker is certified as a High Complexity Laboratory
Director. A frequent speaker internationally and locally, he also serves on
the advisory board of Child
of My Dreams, an online resource for adoption and infertility.
Dr. Tucker spends his free time riding motorcycles with his two sons and traveling with his wife, Megan.
Click here to read Dr. Tucker's Curriculum
Vitae.
Paula C. Morton, B.S., E.C.L.D. EMBRYOLOGIST
As the lab director at Georgia Reproductive Specialists, Paula brings patients the latest scientific advances in IVF laboratory techniques. She specializes in growing fertilized eggs in blastocyst cultures, which allow up to five days (instead of one or two) before embryo transfer. A useful technique for women who produce a large number of eggs, this delay means implantation of fewer but healthier embryos, increasing the odds of pregnancy and reducing the risk of multiple births. She also has extensive experience in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI -- injecting a single sperm into an egg) and is developing methods for preimplantation genetic diagnosis to check embryos for Down's Syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities.
Since the mid 1980s, when assisted reproduction technology was in its scientific infancy, Paula has worked with national embryology leaders to help childless couples conceive through the use of in vitro fertilization. Beginning at Duke University's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in 1984, she first learned from, and now collaborates with, many of the outstanding reproductive laboratory scientists who have brought IVF to its current levels of success.
In 1987, she was named director of the in vitro fertilization laboratory and andrology laboratory at the Southwest Fertility Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Moving to Atlanta in 1992, Paula was appointed senior embryologist at Reproductive Biology Associates where she teamed with Dr. Tucker to successfully fertilize and implant thawed human eggs, a landmark in IVF history.
Her research has been published in major scientific journals including
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Human Reproduction,
the Journal of Assisted Reproductive Genetics and Family Health
International. She is a member of the American Society for Reproductive
Medicine, the International Working Group on Preimplantation Genetics,
the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, and Reproductive
Laboratory Technology Professional Group.
Paula holds a bachelor of science in zoology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and did graduate work in biology at Arizona State University, where she taught developmental physiology and anatomy.
Erika Rubant, NP - EGG DONOR COORDINATOR
Erika graduated from Baylor University in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in nursing and continued her education at Vanderbilt University, completing her master's degree in 2000. She has practiced nursing in the OB/Gyn setting, including Labor and Delivery, Maternal Fetal and High Risk Antepartum and Postpartum, for six years and is certified as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. In May 2002, Erika joined Georgia Reproductive Specialists and is responsible for screening, matching and coordinating care with donors and recipients as Egg Donor Coordinator.
She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society and Alpha Delta Tau Nursing Fraternity. Erika and her husband, Scott, have one son.
Sue Schneider, RN - IVF NURSE COORDINATOR
Sue Schneider joined the GRS team as IVF Coordinator in September 2004, bringing more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Her nursing experience ranges from dermatology to OB/Gyn and she most recently worked as the IVF Coordinator at a private practice infertility program for 16 years. Sue attended the University of Cincinnati, received her RN degree from Christ Hospital School of Nursing and participates in continuing education programs to stay current on the latest developments in infertility treatment. Recognized as a leader in the field of reproductive nursing, she has served on advisory boards for Resolve of Georgia, Organon Pharmaceuticals and Serono and has been a guest speaker at a number of workshops and symposia.
Outside of work, Sue enjoys gardening, playing golf and spending time with her husband, two children and four grandchildren.
Other Staff
In addition to our physicians and nurse coordinators, the staff at GRS consists of registered nurses, medical assistants, lab technicians, resident physicians and business office staff all committed to working together to ensure a positive experience for each patient.
