Meet the Surrogacy Team beside the seaside!
The ethos of The Agora Clinic is to ensure all individuals and couples, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity are celebrated, educated and professionally supported throughout their parenting journey.
We are long established UK pioneers and leaders in inclusive fertility care and offer both NHS and privately funded bespoke LGBTQ+ treatment programs. We are proud to have the highest IVF success rates in London and the South-East but also recognise the emotional demands of the parenting journey which is why our approach is to offer an exceptional patient experience through a boutique approach to fertility care. Let the Agora family make your dreams come true.
Dr Carole Gilling-Smith, MA (Cantab), FRCOG, PhD
Carole is the CEO, Medical Director and Founder of the Agora Clinic in Hove. She is a Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist.
She believes that all individuals, whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity and ethnic background should have equal access to fertility care and be professionally supported and guided throughout their parenting journey. This is the ethos of the Agora, a clinic renowned for embracing diversity and leading the UK provision of inclusive fertility care through supporting those from the LGBTQ+ community find safe and fulfilling routes to parenthood.
Carole is on the Advisory Board for My Surrogacy Journey.
Dr George Koustas MMedSci Phd PCQI FAHCS
Dr George Koustas is the Director of Embryology and Quality Manager at the Agora Clinic. He has a passion for delivering excellence in the IVF laboratory and is an advocate for evidence-based innovation and improvement in fertility care.
He leads and mentors a team of experienced Clinical Embryologists and junior Embryologists. George is a Consultant Clinical Embryologist, Fellow of AHCS, member of the Education SIG responsible for the training and education of Clinical Embryologists and a practitioner of the PCQI.
Before joining the Agora, George had developed extensive experience in Clinical Embryology through working in leading IVF centres in the UK, Denmark and Sydney.
Michèle Gilling-Ulph BA
Michèle is passionate in supporting the LGBTQ+ people in their journey to parenthood.
Michèle has been running the egg donation programme at the Agora for the last two years and has helped grow the service and options available to patients. She is also part of the surrogacy team and supports intended parents, surrogates and donors.
She has a real interest in promoting the quality of a patient’s experience developing the extensive patient support program and is involved in day-to-day patient care helping her find ways to constantly innovate and improve the way the Agora fertility care is delivered.
Samantha Backley BSc
Sammi is a the Deputy Nurse Manager at the Agora and Nursing Lead for the surrogacy program.
Soon after joining the Agora, Sammi developed a specialist interest and expertise in both egg donation and surrogacy and helped shape the clinic’s approach to delivering bespoke surrogacy programs.
She enjoys working closely with both intended parents and surrogates during their fertility journey, serving as their advocate and support at all times and striving to provide personalised care for all, however that may be needed.
Kerry Martin
Kerry is our Surrogacy coordinator. Starting out on a surrogacy fertility journey can be daunting and IPs and surrogates have many questions, not just at the start but at many points along the way.
Kerry is there to ease that pathway and be the first port of call at every step of your journey. She meets all new intended parents (IPs), egg donors when they are needed, and surrogates and works closely with the medical, nursing and scientific experts on the team to help map out a bespoke surrogacy journey for each person involved to ensure everyone has a truly positive experience.
Kerry also makes sure our patients understand their options and costs for each step of their journey. Kerry is also Admin Manager and PA to the CEO.
For more information about how you can access The Agora speak to Carly or Stevie, or head straight to the portal and review The Agora’s Directory listing.
Michael Johnson-Ellis
Hi everyone, So I’m Mike, guess I’m the crazy one who had the idea to sell our souls to Social Media and open up our world for everyone to comment on and observe our lives. I spend most nights (when not with Talulah and Duke obviously) with my phone glued to my hand, posting, sharing, liking and filming - all in readiness for Facebook, Insta and now YouTube. It’s getting to be a full time job, which is tricky - as I have one of those! For the last 18 years I have worked within Medical Recruitment and have worked in a variety of high pressured Operational and Business Development roles in London and the Midlands. More recently I am working for myself as it gives me greater flexibility with our new family via my Consultancy firm MJE Consultancy Ltd, where I attract and recruit Fertility Nurses, Embryologists and IVF Consultants and other specialist Doctors, as the Fertility Industry is my passion. I’m obviously one half of TwoDads.U.K and very proud of that fact too, and without doubt being a father is and has been the best job I’ve ever had. Nothing prepares you for the impact these little humans have on us, I know if you’re anything like me, the joy of being a parent just keeps on giving (whilst equally testing me too!). Don’t get me wrong, there’s days where I want to sit on the garage floor and drown myself in Gin but on the whole, life is better than it ever has been...
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