Emmett Branigan, MD

Dr. Branigan and his wife Antoinette, who also happens to be the IVF lab director, started the Bellingham IVF clinic together in 1995. Dr. Branigan is a reproductive endocrinologist who was on the faculty at the University of Washington Fertility and Endocrine Center for four years. He received his reproductive endocrinology training at Harvard Medical School in Boston. His IVF experience began in 1991, and he is an expert in male factor infertility. He has published many articles on both male factor infertility and clinical research (see list of articles in What's New at Bellingham IVF & Fertility Care). When not seeing patients, Dr. Branigan enjoys golfing when weather permits and skiing when the snow falls. But like his wife Antoinette, he mostly enjoys spending time with his daughters. As family man who knows how blessed we are to have children, Dr. Branigan works very hard to help his patients achieve a successful outcome.

Antoinette Estes-Branigan

Antoinette has been an embryologist at the university of Washington IVF Program for five years. Before that, she directed the IVF lab at UCLA. She has a B.S. from Colorado State University, attended USC dental school, and has had IVF experience since 1990. When not in the lab she is shuffling her two beautiful daughters around town.

Kenneth Walker

We were happy to have Ken (a.k.a., Cowboy Ken) join our program recently. With his help since 2003, our success has continued to grow. He and his lovely wife moved from Texas last year and have been enjoying living in the Northwest immensely. They both love backpacking in our beautiful Cascade Mountains, biking along the incredible coastline, fishing and crabbing the local waters and running the numerous mountain trails.

He obtained his bachelors degree in biology from Idaho State University in 1990 and has been working as an embryologist/Andrologist since 1991.

What he enjoys the most about being an embryologist is being able to see the fruits of his labor. Watching the expression on patient’s faces when they see their first ultrasound pictures of their pregnancy or seeing the new parents and baby when they come to the office after they deliver. Gives him goose-bumps every time!

Lynda Dahlgren

Lynda says she loves working here because it is a small office so we are able to have way too much fun! She is our party decorator. With all of the birthday and half birthday celebrations, as well as holiday parties, it’s amazing she gets any work done!

She also really enjoys working with our patients to help them achieve their ultimate goal of a child. Her favorite part of the job is being included in the joy of seeing their baby (or babies!) and the heartbeat for the first time. She especially enjoys it when they return to the office a few months later to show off their big tummy or newborn!

Even though Lynda started out as a dental assistant, she came to Bellingham IVF in 2001 and has loved it ever since. Her daily exchange of comical remarks with Dr. Branigan is enjoyable to watch. How she loves to tease him about baseball!

Although Lynda loves her job, her true love is her amazing husband Dirk and her two children Dirk and Alyssa. When she’s not spending time with them you can usually find her at a good garage sale or craft show.

Karen Anderson

Karen and her wonderful husband Andy moved to the Bellingham area in 1986 to finish raising their two daughters, Kirsten and Kathryn. She actually met Dr. Branigan and Antoinette through her daughter who babysat for them. But now she has a grandbaby of her own so she has less time to do her favorite thing, read murder mysteries while watching baseball with her husband who is the biggest Red Sox fan in the Northwest.

Although she has only been at Bellingham IVF since 2002, she has become such an incredible asset to the practice. We just know that the law offices where she came from are really missing her! Patients and staff just love her, as anyone that calls will see.

Karen says she absolutely loves what we are able to offer to couples who are having difficulty conceiving. She truly admires the patients for their strength while coping with the stress of trying to become pregnant. And when patients bring in their newborn, it is so much fun to watch how excited she gets when she holds them. Her laughter and smile is our reward as well. The staff looks forward to her everyday, she is always buying toys and candy for everyone and she loves to plan parties.

She loves coming to work because it’s such a positive happy place and her coworkers make it so much fun, but mostly, at the end of the day she leaves happy, looking forward to tomorrow when it starts all over again.

Sara Nicolas

Sara is our most recent addition. She just moved from Portland, OR with her special guy Brendan. She received her Bachelors degree from the University of Oregon just last year and immediately went to work for a fertility program in Portland as a Donor coordinator. But now we have her, and we are blessed. She is a lively addition to our happy little family. Our patients have really enjoyed working with her. She loves the opportunity to be involved in helping couples achieve their dream of having a child and completing a family. She says it gives her the “fuzzies.” She also loves getting to know patients individually and she really enjoys the small practice ‘family’ atmosphere.

When we don’t have her slaving away at work she enjoys quilting and photography as well as being outdoors engaging in hiking, camping and snow boarding, but what she really loves is going sailing with her man, Brendan, and his family.