Dr. Carlene W Elsner, MD

Carlene W. Elsner, M.D. has worked in the field of infertility since 1973. She is Subspecialty Board Certified by the Division of reproductive Endocrinology of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She was the first board-certified reproductive endocrinologist in Atlanta and is a founding partner of Reproductive Biology Associates. She is a charter member of the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Dr. Elsner is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). Additional memberships include: American Society for Reproductive Medicine(ASRM), The Reproductive Biology Special Interest Group, the South Atlantic Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Georgia Obstetrics and Gynecology Society.

Dr. Elsner has been selected by the American Fertility Association to be the 2009 recipient of the Joyce M. Vargyas M.D. Visionary Award. She has been honored as one of "Atlanta's Top Docs" by Atlanta …Magazine and chosen as one of America's Top Obstetricians and Gynecologists by the Consumer Research Council of America every year from 2002-2009. She has also been chosen for inclusion in the Global Who's Who.

Dr. Elsner is a native of Columbus, Georgia. She received her B.S. from the University of Georgia and her M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia. She did an internship at Eugene Talmadge Memorial Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Dr. Elsner completed a four year residency and was Chief Resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida, School of Medicine. She served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Reproductive Biology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at UCLA Harbor Medical Center and was on the Faculty of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University.

In 1970, Dr. Elsner became interested in reproductive endocrinology when she served a preceptorship with Professor G.I.M. Swyer at the Fertility and Endocrine Clinics at University College Medical School in London, England. Since that time, Dr. Elsner has conducted research on a variety of topics including hormone receptors, the endocrinology of pregnancy, disorders of the menstrual cycle, including the premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea, ovulation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and oocyte cryopreservation. She has authored or coauthored scores of scientific articles in British and American medical journals and several book chapters on these and other topics.

Dr. Elsner's current research interests are focused on the devlopment of oocyte cryopreservation for egg banking for egg donation programs and also for fertility preservation. Others interests include the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for recurrent pregnancy loss, advanced maternal age, and IVF failure.

Dr. Elsner is a strong advocate for women's reproductive health issues. She answers questions about fertility in the Fertile Thoughts column of the Divine Caroline website. She is a frequent speaker for educational programs for practicing physicians, residents, and particularly for patients. She has been active in the resident training program for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical College of Central Georgia and for Emory University School of Medicine.

Dr. Elsner is married and has two adult daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family. She also likes to ski, golf and travel. After hours, she is active in a variety of community service organizations which benefit the Shepherd Center, the High Museum, the Atlanta Women's Foundation, the Atlanta Opera, and the Shakespeare Festival at Oglethorpe University.