Clinical Staff
Dr Gillian Lockwood MRCOG DPhil MA (Oxon)
Medical Director
| Gillian joined MFS in 2000 as medical director after working in fertility medicine since 1991, initially at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where she also completed her Doctorate. Her research interests include polycystic ovarian syndrome, age-related sub-fertility and recurrent miscarriage. Under her guidance, MFS was the first UK clinic to use the hormone inhibin B to assess ovarian reserve, a precursor to AMH testing. She is ethics spokesperson for the British Fertility Society, former vice-chair of the RCOG Ethics Committee and was a special advisor to the Parliamentary Select committee reviewing the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. In 2009 she was asked to join a Working Party of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics - ’Give and Take: Human Bodies in Medicine and Research’ considers the ethical issues that arise in the provision human body materials, from organs, gametes, corneas, blood etc, with a particular focus on the role of the person providing the ‘material’. She lectures and broadcasts on ethical and social issues in reproductive medicine and has published widely on all aspects of fertility, including co-authoring Fertility & Infertility for Dummies with Jill Anthony-Ackery in 2007. |
Mike Bowen FRCS MRCOG MRCP(Ire)
Accredited Consultant
| Mike has been MFS’ accredited consultant since 2003. He and Gillian Lockwood have been colleagues for about 20 years, having met and worked together in Oxford. Mike is a gynaecological surgeon with a special interest in endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery. He has wide experience in the management of complex endometriosis and fibroids. |
Dr Abey Eapen DRCOG MBBS BSc (Hons)
Clinical Lead
Dr Adrija Kumar Datta MRCOG MD MBBS
Clinical Research Fellow
Dr Purviben Shah MRCOG DGO MD
Clinical Research Fellow
Dr Purviben Shah joined the clinical team in July 2011 as a clinical research fellow. After qualifying at medical school in India and training in obstetrics and gynaecology for three years and gaining her DGO and MD qualifications, she spent a year as a SHO and another three years as a registrar at hospitals in England working in the maternity and obs and gynae departments. She received her MRCOG qualification in 2010 and in addition to English, speaks Gujarati and Hindi. |
Heidi Birch RGN RM MSc
Director of Nursing Services
Heidi joined MFS in 1987 soon after the unit opened. She joined the Board of Directors in 1996 and is responsible for delivering and continuously improving the clinic’s nursing services. She is one of the most highly-qualified fertility nurses in the UK, licensed for many procedures only doctors carry out at other hospitals and clinics, including egg collections and is currently the only nurse in Europe carrying out surgical sperm retrieval. Her extensive experience led to an invitation to be the fertility nursing consultant during the set-up of a fertility clinic in Jamaica in 2000. In 2006 she was elected to the chair of the paramedical committee of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). |
Mandy Godwin RM BSc (Hons) DipHE
Nurse Manager
Bethan Elton RM BSc (Hons)
Clinical Midwife
Victoria King RN DipHE
Fertility Nurse Specialist
![]() | Victoria joined MFS in November 2005 after training, and gaining five years nursing experience, including some midwifery experience, at New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton. |
Sally Parkes RM BSc (Hons)
Clinical Midwife
Vicki Robinson RGN RM
Fertility Nurse Specialist
Donna Wassell RN DipHE
Fertility Nurse Specialist
Sarah Watson RGN
Fertility Nurse Specialist
Sarah Barnard NVQ
Fertility Nurse Assistant
![]() | Sarah joined MFS in 1998 as an assistant to the nursing team. She helps with all the medical procedures and is also a qualified clinical hypnotherapist. |
Vicky Lane-Davies NVQ
Fertility Nurse Assistant
Lynsey Bissell LlB (Hons)
Clinical Administrator
Anne Owen-Williams RGN HND NNEB
Counselling Services Manager
Laboratory Staff
Su Barlow CS M.Med.Sci BSc (Hons) DipRCPath
Laboratory Director
Jo Johnson CS PGDip
Laboratory Manager
Gina Aldis CS MSc BSc (Hons)
Clinical Embryologist
Laura Perkins BSc (Hons)
Trainee Embryologist
Valerie Fraser BSc (Hons)
Semenologist
Lynne Harrison FIBMS HND
Biomedical Scientist
Jo Milner MIBMS BSc (Hons)
Biomedical Scientist / Laboratory Assistant
Administration Team
Anna Kavanagh MBA DipIoD LlB (Hons) MIoD
Director of Quality and Business
Anna joined MFS in 1993 and managed the introduction of BS EN ISO 9002:1994 in the clinic. The successful accreditation in 1994 made MFS the first assisted conception unit in the world to achieve this prestigious quality management system. Anna joined the board in 1997 and in 2000 she became company secretary. She is the registered manager with the Care Quality Commission and is responsible for the general management and administration of the business. |
Jill Anthony-Ackery BA (Hons) MCIPR
Communications Manager
Gail Bellingham FCCA MAAT
Finance Manager
Fiona Park NVQ
Quality and HR Manager
Carol-Ann Smith
Office Manager
Carol-Ann joined MFS in June 2010 as the office manager, with 25 years’ administration experience, including 15 years in a management role, in financial services and the property industry. At MFS she leads the team of receptionists, secretaries, admin assistants, filing clerks and housekeepers and ensures that patients receive the highest quality administration support and front-of-house services. |
Jyoti Patel MSc BSc (Hons)
Information Analyst
Linda Tanner
NHS Contracts Manager
Jenny Abraham AMSPAR
Office Supervisor
Donna Rea-Gardner AMSPAR
Executive Assistant
![]() | Donna re-joined MFS in 1999. She is responsible for the recruitment of egg donors and for managing the recipient waiting list. In 2002 her role was extended to include the co-ordination of embryo donors and recipients. In addition, she is part of the MFS quality management team, involved in incident investigation activity and supporting the work of the MFS complaints officer. |
Becky Cooves NVQ
Patient Liaison Finance Officer
Kerry Poston MAAT
Finance Assistant
Kerry joined MFS in March 2008 to handle the finance activity for suppliers’ accounts, sales invoices and bank reconciliation. She also takes patient payments over the phone. |
Lindsay Pittaway-Howells
Finance Assistant
![]() | Lindsay joined the finance team in January 2009, handling suppliers’ invoices and payments. |
Carolyn Sage AMSPAR NVQ
Secretary
Kathy Gargett
Receptionist
Gemma Parker
Receptionist
Since August 2008 Gemma has been a regular friendly face at reception both during the week and with the weekend team. |
Caroline Price
Receptionist
Caroline joined MFS in 1993 and is one of the familiar faces on reception. She also answers telephone calls, handles patient payments and deals with patient enquiries. |
Shabila Kauser
Receptionist
Shabila joined MFS in September 2010 as one of the reception team, meeting and greeting patients and visitors on arrival and answering patients’ phone calls and directing them to other members of the MFS team. |
Angela Justin
Filing Clerk
Angela joined MFS in 2005 and her role as filing clerk includes handling the post and finance payments and taking telephone calls. |
Julie Gittings
Housekeeper
Julie Gittings joined the housekeeping team in 2008, to help maintain a pleasant and clean environment for patients, staff and visitors on the two floors MFS occupies in Centre House. |
Carl Birch Mech Eng Tech
Facilities Manager
Carl joined MFS in 2000 and is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the two floors MFS occupies at Centre House in Aldridge. He also manages the built environment requirements of major refurbishment projects, including the expansion within Centre House in 2007 and the subsequent redesign of the blood lab and new treatment rooms. In addition to specifying and purchasing new equipment for MFS, Carl is the ‘person responsible’ for the legal deposit of all clinical and hazardous waste and for managing the maintenance plan, including fire safety compliance. |





















































