Mark Surrey, MD, is a board-certified reproductive and endoscopic surgeon and fertility specialist in Beverly Hills, California, and the co-founder of Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Mark Surrey is the Co-founder and of Southern California Reproductive Center. He is a renowned leader in the fields of fertility and reproductive medicine, reproductive surgery, and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Dr. Surrey is a board-certified reproductive and endoscopic surgeon and serves as a clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is also associate director for advanced technologies at SCRC and provides IVF services to UCLA and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Surrey earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.D. from George Washington University. Following an internship and residency at UCLA Medical Center, he completed a research fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and an infertility fellowship at the University of London, Hammersmith Hospital. He then continued his training in preimplantation genetic diagnosis at the University of London and Monash University, Melbourne. Dr. Surrey has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Women’s Health, Glamour, Parents, CNN, Fox News, CBS, ABC, NBC, and dozens of other media outlets. For more information on Dr. Surrey, visit https://www.surreyivf.com/.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My Southern California fertility clinic is thriving and growing every year. We have helped tens of thousands of individuals and families fulfill their dreams of parenthood. My typical day includes meeting with patients, performing fertility procedures, and running my practice.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I launched Southern California Reproductive Clinic (SCRC) because I saw a need to provide the best IVF technology to patients in a private setting. The fertility services I wanted to offer were unavailable at hospitals or university medical centers, so I saw a real need for it. Prior to launching a medical practice- you always want to ensure there is a viable market need for what you are offering. Before launching SCRC, I was in private practice, and we utilized hospitals for fertility procedures. At the time, many of those hospitals were not interested in allocating the necessary funding to perform the genetic testing of embryos, which I knew was essential for IVF. I decided to create a new fertility clinic in Southern California. My extensive background in reproductive health and fertility coupled with my desire to help patients grow their families fueled my passion for launching the fertility practice.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Advanced technology, such as morphokinetic embryo analysis, which will substantially impact the future of reproductive healthcare.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Doing a monthly webinar keeps me committed to two-way communication with patients. Educational resources that enhance the patient experience provides value to new patients interested in learning more about fertility care. Our virtual online webinars are free to attend and cover fertility topics ranging from PCOS and infertility to endometriosis and infertility challenges. Doctors in our clinic speak on camera during the webinars and display charts and visuals to help potential new patients learn more about their personal fertility options.
Social media has been critical for us to spread brand awareness and build a positive experience for current and prospective patients. Our audience feels seen and heard and finds value in our content. I am committed to creating new content, including long-form content on Medium. In these new in-depth articles on topics such as PCOS and endometriosis, patients can learn more about critical issues to their health as well as my fertility services.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Pioneering Reproductive Medicine starts early. Start publishing in medical journals as early as you can. Advancements in the field resulting from your research will help others learn.
Frequently publishing new articles in medical trade publications has helped increase notoriety and recognition in the field. It expanded my reach and credibility to physicians all over the world, which grew public recognition not only in our local community in Beverly Hills, but also abroad. Today, people fly in to see me from all over the world for surrogacy and fertility treatment at my fertility clinic in Southern California.
Notable research contributions in publications are critical for long-term success. Ask yourself the following questions and remain committed to achieving your goals.
· What is your role in pioneering advancements in reproductive medicine?
· What do you want to be known for?
· What mark do you want to leave?
Think about what you want to be known for early on in your career. For example, what innovative techniques or approaches will you develop or implement that will be used by other doctors long after you are gone? Start with the end in mind. Stay focused on your goal.
After you choose a specialization in reproductive medicine, stick with it. My expertise is in assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing.
If you are involved in the development of new fertility treatments, highlight it. Don’t assume people know. Highlight any groundbreaking research studies you have conducted or contributed to. My cutting-edge research in the fertility field is highlighted in each of our clinical procedures, from new advanced cryopreservation methods to exceptionally detailed monitoring practices.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
Male infertility is important to acknowledge. Many people do not realize that a high number of infertility cases are linked to poor sperm health.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Invest in new technology. Technology is a competitive advantage. As a result of utilizing top-of-the-line fertility technology, we boast some of the highest success rates in the world. By remaining at the cutting edge of fertility technology, we continue to provide patients with the most extensive range of options for the highest chance of reproductive success. Today, my fertility center offers more than fifteen different methods of assisted reproduction, matching each patient with the right treatment plan for their unique situation and goals. Patients will typically find this level of advanced technology in major medical centers. We are the only clinic in Santa Barbara with access to this type of fertility technology.
Technology is critical to our success. Our ART lab is state-of-the-industry. Never stop investing in what is critical to your success. Do not rest on your laurels. If you are known for having the most advanced technology in the world, you have to continue to have the most advanced technology. What was considered novel technology ten years ago is not novel today. Advancements in fertility treatments and technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), have improved success rates and made fertility treatments more accessible.
My clinic has state-of-the-art assisted reproductive technologies (ART) facilities located in-house at our Beverly Hills, Los Angeles office. This is a significant advantage for patients seeking a private and exclusive experience. The laboratory facilities comprise the ART Reproductive Center.
At the ART Reproductive Center, our mission is to advance global research in fertility technology and to utilize that exceptional research to benefit our patients. When choosing technology for your medical practice, always think about what will yield the best clinical outcomes for success.
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) involve the direct manipulation of eggs, sperm, and embryos for use in infertility treatment. Types of assisted reproductive technologies performed at SCRC include in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and assisted hatching (AH) of embryos. Newer assisted reproductive technologies include powerful techniques such as embryo biopsy and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for chromosomal and genetic evaluation.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
My wife helps ground me. Spending time with my family is critical to my success. Teamwork makes the dream work.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Your medical training will never prepare you for the real-life challenges of running a practice. You must learn how to lead and manage different personality types. Leadership training should be required for anyone in private practice. You have to learn how to get along well with others so that they stay.
We launched in 1999 with 3 founders and 40 employees. Today, the practice has grown to 5 physician partners & well over 120 employees. The key factor that influenced my decision to adapt my leadership style was growth. You can’t manage a practice the same way you did when you first started. To continue to run a thriving medical practice, I have needed to bend and adapt my philosophy and establish clear boundaries. This includes adapting and adjusting my leadership style to manage people who have various personalities. This process has required adaptive behavior on my part, regardless of personal opinions.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Follow your instinct. If you think you are being misled, trust your gut. If you think something was the wrong decision, do not do it again. Be more selective and always use personal referrals. Make sure the people in your network have your best interest in mind. A business manager and trusted consultants can help you navigate this process.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Don’t sell your intellectual property.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
We use an AI tool to summarize my fertility webinars. This helps make our content accessible to those who prefer reading text summaries vs. watching videos.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
Snorkeling with my son and wife in Hawaii.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
Thomas Wolfe – The Bonfire of the Vanities. It was a complex view of life qualities.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Oppenheimer. It was factual, realistic, and well done.
Key learnings:
- You are never too old to stop learning. The day you stop learning is the day your practice will stop growing. You must always continuously learn, teach, practice, and mentor to stay active in the field.
- Word of mouth is critical for long-term practice growth. We received most of our initial referrals from physicians and providers who recognized the importance of what we were accomplishing. Once a patient had a positive experience with me, they would recommend me to their friends and family who were struggling to conceive,
- Staying ahead of the curve is necessary to be the absolute best at what you do. By deploying the most innovative technologies, we optimize the highest chance of success for creating a family.