Triad Medical Experts Celebrate 20 Years of Marriage Dr. Tamer Yalcinkaya of Carolinas Fertility Institute & Dr. Heather Mertz find balance between personal & professional success.
BY M. BIAGIOTTI
changed so much over the past 10 years and there are many opportunities to positively impact clinical care with strong physician leadership in the administrative realm. Even implementation of small administrative changes can touch tens of thousands of patients in a large healthcare system,” she said. “That’s very exciting to me.” While the couple doesn’t work together directly, they sometimes ask each other for professional opinions on medical topics. Some patients that need treatment from Dr. Y at Carolinas Fertility Institute also have medical factors that give them additional risks during pregnancy. Therefore, they may need Fetal Medicine Care from a professional like Heather.
Doctors Tamer Yalcinkaya and Heather Mertz represent a strong and supportive collaboration which totals over two decades in support of women’s health, as well as their family’s individual medical needs. This dynamic duo has treated hundreds of patients and this month, they reach a platinum anniversary. Since the beginning of their relationship, they have shared an enthusiasm for advances in the treatment of women’s health. The couple met in 1993 as they were both getting started in their respective OB/GYN medical careers at West Virginia University. They got to know each other by working together in Women’s Health research, and in 1996, Drs. Yalcinkaya and Mertz were married along the banks of the Kanawha River in West Virginia. Since then, Dr. Yalcinkaya has become one of the nation’s premier fertility specialists. He has practiced Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) for over 24 years. After completing his REI fellowship training at the University of California at San Francisco, he started two IVF programs at West Virginia University Health Sciences in Charleston and Morgantown. Most recently, he served as Director of REI at Wake Forest Baptist Health. “Dr. Y,” as he is affectionately known to his patients, provides care in all aspects of infertility and reproduction, and is an expert in endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome disorders, menstrual disorders, hormonal imbalances, conditions such as fibroids, and differences in formation of the reproductive tract. He founded Carolinas Fertility Institute in 2014, a practice with offices in Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Charlotte. The practice specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility. CFI provides advanced reproductive technologies in a comforting, supportive environment to give patients the personal care they deserve.
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“With CFI, I recognized an opportunity to bring the latest fertility technology together with the world’s premier medical talent,” said Dr. Y. “Since our foundation, we are experiencing among the highest IVF success rates in the nation and we have opened a new office in Charlotte to help meet this demand.” Dr. Mertz is a prominent Maternal Fetal Medicine physician, focused on the care of patients with complicated pregnancies. She completed her residency training at West Virginia University, and remains passionate about bringing women’s healthcare to underserved communities. She completed her fellowship training at Wake Forest University. Recently, Heather practiced at Wake Forest Baptist Health and between 2009 – 2014, she was the Division Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine. She currently works part time for Carolinas HealthCare System, predominantly in their outreach clinics. Heather finds this to be a wonderful way to be able to balance raising a family with a medical career. She also just completed an MHA degree from UNC and plans to be more involved in healthcare administration when their children are older. “I feel strongly that more physicians need to be involved in healthcare administration,” said Heather. “The structure of healthcare has
Twenty years later, the doctors have each built thriving careers in the fields of fertility care and maternal fetal medicine, while raising a family of four children, ages 7 to 16. “We’ve had our share of ups and downs, and career-family balance is still a work in progress for us, but we have learned a few things,” said Heather and Tamar. “The first is to be sure to make time for each other. Even if it’s just one hour each week for us to focus on nothing else but having fun together, that goes a long way. The second is to recognize when the other person has a difficult time or task coming up and be supportive while filling in the gaps. When one of us is exhausted or experiencing some challenges at work, the other steps up to do some extra things with the kids, clean up the house, be sure there are groceries, etc. The third most important thing is to do our best to make life fun for our family. Planning some time to do enjoyable things with the kids, keeping a lighthearted attitude at home, and realizing that things will be imperfect most of the time keeps us all smiling. When you can laugh, everything seems much more in balance.” There are legions of local women and families that owe a great deal to this couple’s medical talents and they are happy to share their experiences. It seems the care and joy Tamer and Heather have provided has paid them back full circle. The Yalcinkaya children: Melodi, age 7, Derin, age 8, Berk, age 13 & Selin, age 16.