Meet Our Team

Dr. Mark P. Leondires

Founder, Medical Director & Partner at Illume Fertility and Gay Parents To Be

Dr. Mark P. Leondires, Founder of Gay Parents To Be and Medical Director of Illume Fertility, is board-certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. In addition to serving as Chair of ASRM's LGBTQ Special Interest Group, he is currently a member of Resolve's Physician Council. Dr. Leondires has been selected as a Castle Connolly "Top Doctor" in CT & NY for many consecutive years. 

Prior to joining Illume Fertility, Dr. Leondires served as the Director of Assisted Reproductive Technologies at the Combined Federal Program for Reproductive Endocrinology. While under his direction, the ART Program was one of the most successful in the Washington DC area and in the top tenth percentile nationally. During this time he was an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and clinical faculty for the Combined Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology. His professional society memberships include the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Dr. Laura Meyer

Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist at Illume Fertility

Dr. Laura Meyer is double board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

After graduating from the NYU School of Medicine, she completed both her residency and fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Prior to joining Illume Fertility in 2020, she was an Assistant Professor at the NYU School of Medicine, practicing in Westchester and Fairfield counties.

Dr. Cynthia Murdock

Partner and Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist at Illume Fertility

Dr. Cynthia Murdock is a staff physician and a fertility specialist at Illume Fertility. She is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and treats many of our moms-to-be through Gay Parents To Be.

Dr. Murdock is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Murdock was previously an assistant clinical professor at Creighton University School of Medicine and a staff physician with Reproductive Health Specialists at Nebraska Methodist Hospital. She has also served as an Assistant Professor of OB-GYN at the National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Diana D’ Amelio

Physician Assistant

As a clinician, Diana sees patients and performs physicals and procedures like endometrial biopsies, ultrasounds, and saline sonograms. She also oversees the third-party reproduction program, which includes donor eggs, gestational carriers, and intended parents. Finally, she is the team leader in the Danbury office of Illume Fertility. Diana received her undergraduate degree in biology from Cornell University and completed the Surgeon’s Assistant Program at Cornell University Medical College. She has practiced in the field of infertility since 1993.

Melissa Kelleher, LCSW

Fertility Counselor

Melissa works with couples and individuals during their fertility journey, helping them handle loss and disappointments, as well as giving them the tools to make decisions related to their fertility challenges.

Since becoming a licensed social worker in 2006, Melissa has worked with patients to help them better manage stress from a variety of situations, which gives her useful perspective for fertility patients. She has been working with fertility patients at Illume Fertility for many years, primarily with intended parents and donors.

Jamie Speer, MS

Genetic Counselor

James Speer, M.S., a certified genetic counselor, has over 10 years of experience in the fertility field. As a genetic counselor, Speer’s role is to obtain detailed health and family histories, identify conditions with genetic components and risk factors, discuss inheritance patterns, and provide information regarding genetic testing options. Many of the fertility patients he works with will have donor sperm or donor oocytes as part of their fertility treatment. It is important to understand the genetics of the donor as well as the intended parents to fully understand any inheritance risk factors.

His career started as a lab technician conducting genetic research and testing. In addition to working with patients for more than 20 years, Speer has been a professor and was the Associate Director of the Joan H. Marks Graduate Program In Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. Outside of the office, Speer keeps busy as a father of four children.

Nora Bolger, RN, BSN, MA

Director of Third Party Programs and Clinical Compliance

Nora Bolger is nurse manager of the Third Party Reproduction program, helping Gay Parents To Be build their families. She began her specialty in reproductive endocrinology at RMA of NY in 2004. Her hospital experience was obtained at NYU Medical Center and Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn where she worked in the newborn nursery and provided postpartum care and lactation teaching.

Nora’s areas of clinical interest are women’s health, integrative and Chinese medicine. She received her BA and a Masters in Health Advocacy from Sarah Lawrence College. She received her BSN from the College of New Rochelle, where she was a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society.