Staff Members of the Sperm bank in San Diego and Orange

Fertility Center of California Staff

Our sperm bank is about people. We want to get to know you better during your visits. Here is some information on our staff members in case you want to know a little about us.

 

Martin D. Bastuba, MD, Tissue Bank Scientific Director and President

Dr. Bastuba is the founder and medical director of Male Fertility Specialists in San Diego. He is part of the elite group of 2% of board-certified urologists in the U.S. who are specialized in treatments and procedures relating to male fertility. His specialty is vasectomy reversals, in which he has the highest success rates in the region.

Dr. Bastuba has earned numerous academic achievement awards, is board-certified by The American Board of Urology, and is currently a clinical instructor in Urology at the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine. He is a frequent guest lecturer and author, serves as a consulting medical expert for local and national TV, and has published and participated in a number of research studies in his areas of expertise. His professional memberships include the American Urological Association, American Medical Association, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the California Medical Association. He has served as president of both the San Diego Reproductive Endocrine Society and San Diego Urologic Society. For more information go to www.vasectomyinfo.com.

Aaron Spitz, MD, Medical Co-Director

Dr. Aaron Spitz is a urologist fellowship-trained in male reproductive medicine and surgery. He is the medical director with the South Orange County Urological Medical Associates in Laguna Hills. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Medical Association and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). He also has professional memberships with the American Urological Association, the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction and the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology. Dr. Spitz is the author of several peer review journal articles and several chapters regarding treatments for infertility.

 

Dan Molden, MD, Medical Co-Director

Dr. Molden is Director of Grossmont Hospital in San Diego. His specialties are anatomic and clinical pathology, cytopathology and immunopathology.

 

Joe Richard, Clinical Director

After receiving his degree in Biology from Kanasole State University he received his training in andrology and cryobiology under Dr.Larry Lipschultz at the Baylor College of Medicine at the Department of Urology and Male Reproductive Lab. In 1991, he established the reproductive lab at Emory Clinic, where he worked for the next five years before leading the laboratory teams at Reproductive Biology Associates. With is extensive experience in other laboratories, Joe now oversees the clinical aspects of the andology and cryobiology laboratories at FCC.

Orange Office Staff

 

Herlinda S. Duron, Patient Coordinator

Linda worked at the University of California Irvine before joining the staff at the Fertility Center of California in 1986. Since then, she has been in charge of all human aspects of the program at the fertility center, such as donor matching, patient liaison, and the coordination of donor applications. Her primary role at the center is to find answers to all your questions related to the programs at FCC. She is the heart and soul of the office management.

 

 

Kevin Tran, C.L.S. (ASCP), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Embryologist, GYN Sonographer

Kevin Tran received his B.S. in Biology at the University of California, Irvine. He is licensed as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist by the State of California, National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel (NCA) and American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP). Kevin received his training for Embryology and Micromanipulation from the Jones Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Virginia. He has more than 14 years of clinical laboratory and andrology experience performing specialized embryology procedures as well as cryobiology. He also conducts semen testing, including semen analysis, sperm gradient washing, sperm penetration assay and gender preselection. In 2005, He received his training and certification as a Ob/Gyn Sonographer to perform follicle/ovulation monitoring.

 

Lorna Tawatao, C.L.S, Senior Clinical Laborratory Scientist

Lorna is a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist, conducted laboratory testing in chemistry, microbiology, serology, and parasitology . Before joining FCC, she worked in Kuwait for 15 years in hematology performing various special test in coagulation studies, hemoglobin electrophoresis, erythrocytic disorders and cytochemical staining techniques. She has been a valuable staff member at the FCC since February 2004 performing all andrology and cryobiology testings.

 

 

 

San Diego Office Staff

Teresa Bastuba, LCSW, Counseling Specialist

Teresa has a Master’s degree in social work. She worked with spinal cord injury patients at the VA Hospital in San Diego for several years. She joined the Fertility Center of California staff in 2006 and specializes in the process of donor application, matching and patient relations.

 

Gloria F. Gallardo, CLS

Gloria has worked for the American Red Cross in San Diego before joining FCC in February 2006. She is a certified Clinical Laboratory Scientist since 1978 and performs semen analysis, sex pre-selection and sperm washes in the laboratory at the San Diego location.

 

Merrilie Rousseu, RN

Merrilie has been a registered nurse since 1988, certified in reproductive endocrinology and fertility. She joined Fertility Center of California's San Diego office in 2001 and performs weekend inseminations on a per diem basis.

 

Carol Zale, RN BSN

Carol has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing since 1968, and has always worked in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Before joining the FCC team in 1994, she was a fertility specialty nurse at the IVF program in Scripps Clinic 1986 - 1993 and a fertility senior nurse at Kaiser Permanente 1994 - 2004. Carol performs inseminations for couples in our San Diego office on holidays, weekends and whenever else needed.

 

 

Consultants

 

Constanze Scherer, Marketing Consultant and Webmaster

Constanze has been working for Dr. Bastuba since June 2003 in the capacity of marketing associate. Her company Fertility Marketing completes projects such as website design and maintenance, online advertising, coordination of speaking engagements, brochure design, e-newsletter, and other digital media.