PAthways to parenthood 101 - follow-up resources

Tricia Anbinder is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private psychotherapy practice in Atlanta, GA. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Emory University and received her Master in Social Work degree from the University of Georgia. Tricia began her clinical career in the field of rape crisis counseling and has worked in the mental health field with various populations, including adults with developmental disabilities and homeless individuals and couples. In 2004, Tricia began working in Ridgeview Institute’s Young Adult Addiction Program, before transitioning to the Adult Psychiatric Program. In early 2006, Tricia became the sole case manager for Ridgeview Institute’s Impaired Professionals Psychiatric Program, providing treatment for physicians, attorneys, and other licensed professionals.

Tricia established her private practice in 2007, where she works with adults struggling with depression, anxiety, life transitions, and relationship issues. Additionally, Tricia specializes in working with women and men experiencing the roller coaster of infertility and the transition into parenthood. She provides individual therapy, groups, and consultation for individuals and couples at any stage of the journey towards and into parenthood. She has facilitated one of Jewish Fertility Foundation’s support groups for women experiencing infertility since 2017 and has provided numerous educational seminars for infertility patients, their loved ones, and health care providers. She is a member of Resolve and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Mental Health Professionals Group. For more information on her work, please visit her website at www.TriciaAnbinder.com.

Email: Tricia@triciaanbinder.com 

Anate A. Brauer, M.D., FACOG, is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist with extensive experience in treating all medical and surgical aspects of infertility. She serves as SGF New York’s IVF Director.

Dr. Brauer earned her medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine, where she was elected to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Brauer subsequently completed her fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility-Weill Cornell Medical College. Prior to joining Shady Grove Fertility, Dr. Brauer was an Assistant Clinical Professor at NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Brauer has expertise in ovulation induction, in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg freezing, pre-implantation genetic testing and third-party reproduction including donor egg, donor sperm, donor embryo, and gestational surrogacy. She applies the latest clinical data, state-of-the-art technology, and extensive clinical experience to optimize pregnancy rates while minimizing patient stress with her supportive approach to care.

Dr. Brauer has published and presented at numerous national meetings on the topics of optimizing fertility treatments in patients with diminished ovarian reserve, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or those using a gestational surrogate; fertility preservation; and complementary therapies in infertility. She is especially passionate about helping young patients with cancer build families, which has led her to serve on the Advisory Board of the Young Survivors Coalition. Dr. Brauer is a regular contributor on a variety of women’s health topics to local and national media such as Parents, Reader’s Digest, Refinery 29, Woman’s Health Magazine, Byrdie and Shape, to name a few. For Shape, she serves on their expert Brain Trust.

She is a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology and an active member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group.

Dr. Brauer enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. She also enjoys cooking and running or spinning for exercise in her free time.

To schedule an appointment: 

National: 1-888-761-1967 www.shadygrovefertility.com; 

New York: 212-203-4826 Nyconsult@sgfertility.com

Katie Foley and her husband Brandon were participants on HMI trip 5 out of New York City. Katie is a social worker with an MSW from Columbia University and she worked for a premier New York City adoption agency for 7 years. She is an expert on international and domestic adoption and frequently coaches families on their pre-adoptive journeys. She is passionate about making sure kids grow up in stable, loving, permanent families. Katie currently works for a nonprofit serving 20,000 vulnerable and older New Yorkers. 

Elana (Bekerman) Frank, a native of Atlanta, GA, lived, studied, and worked in Maryland, Manhattan, Israel, and New Jersey.  She has 20 years of experience working with non-profits (in America and in Israel) in fundraising, marketing, community outreach, volunteer recruitment, Board development and program development.  

Elana "birthed" The Jewish Fertility Foundation. It took her ten years and countless rounds of IUI and IVF cycles and embryo donation to make three babies. Because she was a resident of Israel at that time of her first two children, their socialized medicine afforded her the opportunity to inexpensively reach a solution. When she returned to the US, she realized that others weren’t as lucky as her - in terms of treatment success, community support, and financial aid. She learned for others it takes years, miscarriages, unbearable debt, oceans of tears, and heartache before finally giving birth, if at all. And with the cost of IVF ranging on average from $14,000 - $25,000 in America many don’t even have a chance for a chance. Knowing that there was this grave need for funding, support and enhanced awareness of this sometimes “unspoken” issue in the Jewish community, she decided to create Jewish Fertility Foundation.

Email: elana@jewishfertilityfoundation.org 

Carrie and Josh Hearshen met in college at Michigan State. They have been together ever since. When they were dating they often spoke about their future and the large family they would build together. As committed Jews they looked forward to large shabbat dinners and children saying shema at night. When they moved to Seattle, WA for their first pulpit they discovered that all of their dreams were at risk of being destroyed when they were informed of a diagnosis of infertility. They immediately looked for a way to resolve their situation and managed to have their first child, Ayelet Nomi (age 11), through IVF on their first try. Over the years they tried a number of different clinics and different advanced techniques to have a second child. That journey finally came to fruition in January 2020 when they were blessed to adopt their second child, Galit Batya. 

The Hearshens recently moved to Atlanta and Carrie is a Judaics teacher at AJA and Josh is the Rabbi of Congregation Or VeShalom. Their journey has been from Michigan, to Los Angeles, to Seattle, to Long Island, to Florida to here.  They love Camp Ramah Darom where Carrie and Josh are on staff and Ayelet is a camper (Galit is a future camper). They love hockey, musicals, music, reading, social justice and spending time together. They are committed to the Jewish community that has made their family all that it is. 

Tracy Juran is a Principal Consultant and Employee Owner at Systems Evolution Inc. A local boutique consulting firm; SEI's primary focus is IT and business transformation projects.  Tracy attended THE Ohio State University and studied business with a focus in Operations Management. She moved to Cincinnati in 2011 to pursue a career in IT consulting before moving on to IBM. In 2013, Tracy met her husband Josh, a finance executive, and they were married on New Year's Eve three years later. She is actively involved in the Jewish community currently serving on the Board of Trustees for both Rockwern Academy and the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Tracy loves to plan parties with friends and travel the world; her favorite destinations include Thailand, Peru, and Israel. 

Tracy underwent fertility treatments herself, so she is no stranger to the emotional, physical and financial challenges that women and men face while trying to start a family. She was inspired to bring JFF to Cincinnati in the hopes of creating new life in our community and offering support to those in need, and is now on the JFF-Cincy Advisory Council. She feels so lucky that she found an outlet to turn my own struggles into something positive.

Rachel Loftspring is a Partner at Essig & Evans, LLP, where she practices Fertility Law exclusively. As a Fertility Law attorney, Rachel counsels clients from the United States and around the world on family-building through surrogacy as well as egg, sperm, and embryo donation. Her clients are intended parents and gestational carriers, recipients and donors, married and single, and of all sexual orientations. 

Rachel is a Fellow of the prestigious Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the American Bar Association's Assisted Reproductive Technology Committee. Rachel posts about Fertility Law on Instagram at @FertilityLawAttorney.

Rachel received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and earned her BA from Emory University, where she graduated magna cum laude and as an alumna served as President of the Emory College Alumni Board. Between college and law school, Rachel earned her culinary arts degree from Mausi Sebess in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship awarded to her by the Buckhead Rotary Club.

Outside of her legal practice, Rachel is an active participant and advocate in her community. She is on the board of the American Jewish Committee Cincinnati, Chair of the Jewish Fertility Foundation - Cincinnati, and regularly organizes and hosts events for an array of organizations and causes. Rachel and her husband, a cardiologist, live in Cincinnati, Ohio with their 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys hiking with her family and working on her Peloton groupie status.

In Rachel’s Fertility Law practice, she provides legal counsel for clients experiencing infertility who are building their families through third party reproduction. But she felt a need to do more. When she learned of the Jewish Fertility Foundation and its incredible work in Atlanta, she immediately thought the Cincinnati community would benefit from having Jewish Fertility Foundation in Cincinnati. And she made it happen! Rachel is currently the Chair of the JFF-Cincy Advisory Council and on the Jewish Fertility Foundation Board of Directors. 

Email: rl@essigevans.com Instagram: @FertilityLawAttorney

Rabbi Malka Packer-Monroe is a Reconstructionist Rabbi and life cycle officiant in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the Founding Director of 18Doors Atlanta, a Jewish non-profit organization that empowers and supports interfaith couples and families. Rabbi Malka helps individuals and families discover deeper meaning, joy and spirituality in their daily lives.  Her passion is creating inspiring and relevant rituals and ceremonies and invigorating Jewish practices. Her rich knowledge of tradition, playful spirit and authentic connection to Judaism guide her desire to collaborate in creating meaningful experiences.  

Rabbi Malka and her wife went through fertility treatments for almost a year before she became pregnant with their now 16-month old daughter.  As a couple, Rabbi Malka and Mercy created rituals, prayed often and felt all the feels during their IUI and IVF journeys. 

Meredith Rose has been working with children, youth and families in the field of social work for over 25 years and she found her home in domestic open adoption in 1996.  Meredith holds an MSW and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Meredith has been the Director of Open Arms Adoption Network, a program of JFCS of Greater Philadelphia since 2006.  Open Arms is licensed in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware.  She is the mother of two adult children; one of whom joined her family through birth and one of whom joined her family through open adoption.

Sara Schwebel currently lives in Urbana, Illinois, where she is the Director of the Center for Children’s Books and a Professor of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her arduous journey to motherhood ended joyfully in 2018 with the arrival of a daughter and son, born via surrogacy. 

Daniel B. Shapiro, M.D. joined Reproductive Biology Associates in 1995. A native of Miami, Florida, he graduated Magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He then went on to medical school at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and it was during this training that Dr. Shapiro first became interested in reproductive medicine by doing a research project with RBA in 1987.

Dr. Shapiro completed fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 1995. Since graduating from fellowship, he has authored and/or co-authored over 50 scientific papers. He is an invited speaker on a number of topics in reproductive medicine and was recently faculty for a post-graduate course at ASRM. He is nationally and internationally known for his work with GnRH antagonists in IVF treatment and has consulted with other practices regarding the efficient use of these drugs.

With the advances made in egg freezing by RBA's lab, under Dr. Peter Nagy, Dr. Shapiro led the effort to establish a working clinical model for RBA's egg bank. Since the opening of the frozen egg bank for egg donation in 2007, Dr. Shapiro has acted as its clinical manager. Prior to this and currently, Dr. Shapiro also serves as RBA's medical director. In addition to his work in ovulation induction for IVF, Dr. Shapiro has interest in the management of PCOS, endometriosis and reproductive surgery.

Dr. Shapiro is board-certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility. He is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), and the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists.

Dr. Shapiro is married with three children. In his spare time he enjoys water sports, skiing, Scrabble with his children, and playing bit parts in community theater.

To contact RBA: 404-257-1900 

Shubha Swamy is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience.  She was drawn to the field of Psychology during her undergraduate years at SUNY Binghamton, and continued on to graduate school at University of Vermont to pursue a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health.  She is also a Certified Professional Counseling Supervisor and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist.  

Shubha began her clinical career in Boston, training in substance use issues, general mood and mental health issues, and working with college students at college counseling centers.  She received highly specialized trauma training at The Trauma Center, where she served as interim Director of the Adult Outpatient Program.  Since then Shubha has worked in private practice, group practices, managed care doing EAP work and honing her skills in anxiety management, adjustment issues, mindfulness, and working with individuals around infertility and postpartum issues.  

Currently Shubha is the co-founder of Atlanta Fertility Support Alliance (AFSA), and manages a thriving private practice in North Atlanta.  She has been featured on public access shows as an expert in the field of mental health and infertility issues, she is a regular guest speaker at infertility support groups with the Jewish Fertility Foundation and consults with OB-GYNS and Reproductive Endocrinologists in Atlanta.  She is heavily invested in providing counseling support, education, and maintaining the highest standards of care for Reproductive-Postpartum Mental Health.

Email: info@novopsychotherapy.com