Biography

Michele works primarily in the areas of adoption, assisted reproductive technology (ART), and parenting. Her practice is particularly focused on developing legal protections for families, including families headed by same-sex couples.

See More

Michele has successfully represented over 600 clients, hundreds of them same-sex couples, in transactions including adoptions, international adoptions, surrogacy, and egg and sperm donation. In Washington, DC, and Maryland, Michele is one of the attorneys who first established laws that enable both same-sex partners to be legal parents to their child.  Michele is an expert on state laws governing surrogacy and same-sex parentage. 

Michele is an active member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and Maryland.  She received her J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1979, and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974.

Michele has been elected to the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys and to the American Association of Adoption Attorneys.  She served on the District of Columbia Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for more than 8 years by appointment of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.  She also served on the Adoption Rules Committee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and worked with Equality Maryland on a review of the Maryland Constitution and Code for discrimination against same-sex couples.  In addition, Michele was the founder of the first "Maybe Baby" group in Washington DC.  Maybe Baby is an educational program for same-sex couples considering family building options.  Michele also served on the first Board of Directors for the Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer.  Currently, she sits on the Board of Rainbow Families D.C. and is on the National Center for Lesbian Rights National Family Law Advisory Council.  She also was appointed to the D.C. Child Support Guidelines Commission by the D.C. City Council, and selected to the Friends of the Superior Court.

Michele has taught courses in Sexual Orientation and the Law, and AIDS and the Law at The George Washington University and The Washington College of Law at American University, where she was named Outstanding Adjunct Professor in 1999.

Michele has been given numerous awards for community service from LGBT organizations in the Washington area, including the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, Women in the Life, and the Capitol Pride Director’s Award for Family.

Biography

Doctor Catenacci completed her Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.  She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and her clinical interests include advanced laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery, microsurgical tubal anastomosis, in vitro fertilization and reproductive endocrinology.  Doctor Catenacci has numerous academic publications and presentations.   

Biography

Dr. Mick Abaé is a Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist who completed medical school at New York Medical College, followed by residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at St. Vincent’s Hospital, NY, and a three-year fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Vermont.

See More

After spending 2 years as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, he left in 1993 to create the Center for Advance Reproductive Endocrinology (CARE) in Plantation, and to establish the standard for personalized patient care in the South Florida infertility community. In August 1998, he founded the Laboratory for Implantation, Fertilization, & Embryology (L.I.F.E.) in order to provide the highest quality of Andrology & Embryology services to his patients.

Dr. Abaé is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), and the Florida Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists. He has continued to maintain an active research program in areas such as endometriosis, laparoscopic surgery, in vitro fertilization and male factor infertility. On several occasions, he has been selected to present the results of this work at the annual conferences of the ASRM, ESHRE, and the International Endometriosis Society, among others. Dr. Abaé remains committed to providing his patients with the latest developments in clinical and laboratory services in a caring and compassionate environment.

Biography

Dr. Mickey S. Coffler is a Physician at HRC Fertility, specializing in Reproductive Endocrinology.  He graduated Suma Cum Laude with a B.S. and Cum Laude with an M.D. from the Israel Institute of Technology/The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel. He conducted his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel and Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Clinic foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. 

See More

He went on to complete his Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of California San Diego.

As a multi-year recipient of several academic awards, Dr. Coffler was honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Medical Studies, Technion Israel Institute of Technology (1985 – 1988); Department of OB/GYN Award for Excellence in Academics, Metrohealth Medical Center (2002 – 2004), and the Mortimer Rosen Award, Cleveland OB/GYN Society (2003 – 2004). 

After completing his fellowship in 2007, Dr. Coffler joined HRC Fertility as a practicing physician.  In addition to his practice, Dr. Coffler has held numerous teaching positions in prestigious academic institutions, including University of California San Diego, Rambam Medical Center, MetroHealth Medical Center.  He currently holds the position of Clinical Instructor, University of California San Diego.

A highly-trained reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Coffler has published various articles in top medical journals, abstracts and book chapters.  Most recently, he contributed to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Dr. Coffler is active in well-known professional organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

Biography

Dr. Millie Behera is an extraordinary physician with a broad range of accolades, skills and interests. She is board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility by the American Board of Ob/Gyn, Obstetrics and Gynecology by the American Board of Ob/Gyn, and Obstetrics and Gynecology by the Royal College of Physician’s and Surgeon’s of Canada.

See More

Dr. Behera received her medical degree in Canada's University of Saskatchewan and graduated with distinction in 1999. She performed her residency in Obstetrics in Gynecology at the University of Western Ontario and later completed a Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Behera is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor and was Clinical Director of Duke’s Center for Fibroid Biology & Therapy.