Joe Conaghan, Ph.D., HCLD, Embryology

Joe Conaghan, Ph.D., HCLD, joined FSMG as our Laboratory Director in 2008, while retaining his primary role as the laboratory director at Pacific Fertility Center. Known internationally for his work on improving embryo culture conditions, he comes with 19 years experience working in embryology and andrology laboratories. Dr. Conaghan did his Ph.D. in human embryology under the direction of Dr. Alan Handyside and Dr. Henry Leese at the University of London. He was trained in embryology at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, where he spent seven years. More recently, he spent five years as the IVF Laboratory Director at the University of California, San Francisco. He is currently the off-site laboratory director for Fertility Specialists of San Diego. He is Board Certified as a High-Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD) in the disciplines of Embryology and Andrology.

Dr. Conaghan’s interests are in developing programs for the treatment of severe male factor infertility, diagnosis of genetic disease in embryos, improved embryo culture, and improving protocols for embryo freezing. As Laboratory Director, he is responsible for maintaining the highest possible standards in the laboratory and providing superior patient care. Working with experienced embryologists in modern facilities, he ensures that all our patients get the best treatment available.

Dr. Conaghan is a reproductive laboratory inspector for the College of American Pathologists and is formally involved in the training and licensure of new embryologists through his work with the American Board of Bioanalysts (ABB), the licensing agency for embryologists and andrologists in the USA. He also sits on the ABB Board of Directors and is the current Chair of the College of Reproductive Biology. He teaches Reproductive Technology at San Francisco State University, where he is a faculty member. He lives just outside San Francisco in Half Moon Bay with his wife and three children.