Our Teams

Michael, our CEO, set up the Herts & Essex Fertility Centre (formerly known as the Essex Fertility Centre at Holly House Hospital, Buckhurst Hill) in 1989. He has almost 34 years’ experience working exclusively in the field of IVF and Assisted Conception since starting in 1984 within the NHS in Oxford. With two other Gynaecologists in 1985, he was a founder member of the Fertility & IVF Unit at the Wellington Hospital in London, under the directorship of Professor Ian Craft, who was famous for his pioneering work in IVF, and was the second person in the UK to be responsible for an IVF birth after Mr Patrick Steptoe. The Unit quickly became the largest and busiest IVF unit in the world at that time, performing over 3500 IVF cycles per year. Michael was Deputy Medical Director when he left in 1989 to start his own independent IVF centre.

A Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, he also a member of the British Fertility Society, the European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Michael’s impressive experience and expertise in Assisted Conception has resulted in the successful and safe delivery of thousands of babies and thousands of happy new families. Widely renowned for his medical prowess, he is equally respected for his meticulous, caring and personal approach to all his patients.

David joined us as Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist in 2011. He graduated from medical school in 1999 and received specialist training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Royal Free Hospital and North Middlesex University Hospital, followed by advanced training in Assisted Conception, Reproductive Endocrinology and Laparoscopic Surgery at King’s College Hospital, London.

David is a member of the British Fertility Society, the European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy, and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynaecology. David regularly teaches and addresses fertility conferences and he is the Person Responsible (PR) for the HFEA, our governing body.

Praveena Joglekar-Pai is a Consultant Gynaecologist & Fertility specialist. She finished her medical school and post-graduation in Obstetrics & Gynaecology from prestigious institutes in India. Following this, she did her Specialist Registrar training in North West London Hospitals with advanced training at the busy hospitals of Northwick Park and Hillingdon.

She has worked extensively in reproductive endocrinology and infertility across India and the UK. She has presented and published on various platforms and is an avid teacher and trainer. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and a member of the British Fertility Society, International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indian Fertility Society, and Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction.

She understands that the road to parenthood is a difficult one for many. With a combination of the latest scientific evidence & clinical skills, she aspires to provide personalised care to her patients, making their arduous journey as pleasant and successful as possible.

Dr. Abha Bhat is a recognised Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist with more than 14 years of experience solely in the field of fertility. She received her medical education and postgraduate training from top institutions in Mumbai, India, then from 2001 - 2008, she pursued additional training in obstetrics and gynaecology in a number of NHS hospitals in the United Kingdom. She finished her training in assisted conception at the prestigious King's College Hospital in London, UK, in 2008. Additionally, she has completed a one-year clinical embryology course to gain a hands-on experience and knowledge of the subject.

For the greatest probability of conception, she practices evidence-based treatment and personalised patient management. Her management begins with a thorough assessment of the patient/couple conducted through a thorough questionnaire and appropriate investigations. The patient/couple is informed of the evaluation along with the reason for their infertility and their treatment alternatives. Each choice is well discussed, along with the price and effectiveness. Following a step-by-step discussion of the suggested route, all queries and doubts are clarified. Patients are educated about the procedure and a management strategy is chosen with their informed consent. The entire process is carried out in accordance with the preferences and viewpoints of the patients. At all times, strict privacy is upheld. The physician will provide the couple with guidance, support, and assistance at every stage of the process.

She offers personalized care to every couple and the quality of treatment offered is of the highest standards with the best possible chances of success.  Irrespective of the volume of patients she strives to maintain the same quality of care and attention for every patient. She has the expertise to support and guide patients through the dilemmas that arise during the treatment process. With her qualities of patience, insight, and empathy, she strives to ease the pain and inspire patients to remain calm and positive while pursuing their dream of becoming parents.

Website: https://drabhabhat.com

Memberships

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

British Fertility Society

Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction

Indian Fertility Society

Procedures:

In vitro Fertilisation

Fertility Treatments

Egg collection

Embryo transfer

Early Pregnancy care

Early Pregnancy scan

Intrauterine Insemination

Ultrasound

Special Interests:

Low ovarian reserve

Polycystic Ovary Disease

Christian developed his skills and knowledge in assisted reproduction working at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, the largest reproductive medicine facility in the country, where he completed his Masters Degree in Advanced Fertility Practice.

Christian underwent training in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and General Practice before specialising in Fertility. This combination of training experience led him to develop a truly holistic approach to patient care by understanding a broad range of health and wellbeing issues facing individuals. He is an authority on the matter and wrote a chapter on biosocial factors in sub-fertility and caring for the fertility patient as a whole. He has a specific interest in health and fertility issues in the LGBTQ+ community, and before joining us he enjoyed working as a fertility specialist in Brighton, serving its diverse community.

Christian studied medicine at the University of Manchester, where from the early stages of his career he carried out extensive research on pharmacogenetics in IVF. This exciting field, thought to be the next frontier in medicine, aims to individualise treatments based on a person’s own genetic makeup to provide safe and effective care. His research resulted in several publications in major fertility journals, and international presentations in Europe and the USA, as well as a national prize at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Christian also gained a BSc in Pathology.

Christian likes to relax walking in the countryside and enjoys skiing trips to Italy and visiting his family home in Rome. Christian also has a passion for kitesurfing and loves any opportunity to get into the sea exploring new kitesurfing spots in the UK and around the world.

Click here to hear from Christian

Shahnaz Akbar has been a Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist & Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine & Surgery since 2005 and is an associate of Herts & Essex Fertility Centre.

Shahnaz started as a consultant at King’s College University Hospital in London and then moved to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital in 2008, where she is based and working as the lead consultant for the fertility unit. Shahnaz manages the practice at Spire Hospital in Harpenden, OneStop Doctors Healthcare in Hemel Hampstead and West Valley Hospital in Croydon.  She is also involved in teaching and training at the Royal College.

She specialises in assisted conception techniques, therapies and all aspects of fertility treatments as well as ultrasound scanning/HyCosy and counselling with a special interest in male factor subfertility, implantation failure, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids.

Shahnaz is married to an Architect and they have twins (son & daughter). She is fluent in several languages; Persian, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, English.

For more information you can visit her personal website: www.safertility.co.uk or the Spire Harpenden website: www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-harpenden-hospital/