Embryology Laboratory and Staff

Our embryology laboratory, the Fertility and Reproductive Health Institute of Northern California (also referred to as FRHI), is a completely current facility that offers patients a full range of reproductive laboratory services, including in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, laser assisted hatching, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, and cryopreservation of embryos, sperm and eggs.

FRHI Earns Highest Honor FRHI Embryology Laboratory is awarded CAP/ASRM accreditation with ZERO deficiencies – the highest (and very rare) merit for IVF laboratories. For the fourth time in a row, the FRHI Embryology Laboratory has passed CAP/ASRM accreditation inspection with ZERO deficiencies. The College of American Pathologists (CAP) / American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) accreditation inspection is an extremely comprehensive process of reviewing the embryology laboratory’s quality control and quality assurance systems, proficiency testing results, quality of patient care, safety practices and personnel competencies. It is conducted by doctoral level embryologists who are trained to perform these inspections. Inspectors use a checklist that is 110 pages long and cite laboratories for every item on this checklist that they find to be unsatisfactory. We are proud to have passed this inspection without any deficiencies and to receive a certification “with ZERO deficiencies”, which is not commonly awarded to IVF laboratories. This February 2009 accreditation is the fourth consecutive inspection in which our laboratory has been awarded certification with this distinction. Congratulations to Dr. Gvakharia and her team!

Marina Gvakharia, MD, PhD, HCLD is a Board Certified High Complexity Laboratory Director in Human Embryology and Andrology and is Director of Laboratory Services, Quality Assurance and Research at the Fertility and Reproductive Health Institute. Dr. Gvakharia received her medical degree and endocrinology fellowship training, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Endocrinology and Clinical Immunology, from Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia, part of the former Soviet Union. She then had additional post doctoral training in endocrinology/andrology and served on the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Under Dr. Gvakharia’s direction, the in vitro fertilization laboratory at FPNC/FRHI is accredited with distinction by the American College of Pathologists. She also established and directs the Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) program at FRHI. Dr. Gvakharia publishes and lectures on sperm and egg interaction, micromanipulation of gametes and embryos and laboratory management.

Dr. Gvakharia is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the American Association of Bioanalysts, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology and the Reproductive Laboratory Technology and Reproductive Biology professional groups.

To view her credentials in detail, please review her curriculum vitae.

The embryology team performs patient services under Dr. Gvakharia’s supervision. Our embryologists are fully trained and highly proficient professionals who are dedicated to excellence in patient and embryo care. Sue Lee and Ayca Cubukcu are board certified as Technical Supervisors in Human Embryology and Andrology by the American Board of Bioanalysis. Lonyl Palao has a BS in Biological Science, and like the rest of the team, many years of training and experience in human embryology.

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