Castle Connolly's 2025 Top Doctor Honors Awarded to Illume Fertility Team

We are proud to share that Illume Fertility's physicians have been honored as Castle Connolly's 2025 America's Top Doctors, continuing a long history of the annual recognition.

In this article:

• Honoring Our Physician Team
• A Note From Our Founder
• What is Castle Connolly?
• Which physicians received 2025 Top Doctor awards?
• What Their Patients Say
• The Right Doctor Can Make All the Difference

Honoring Our Physician Team

At Illume Fertility, our physicians set the tone for the entire practice, modeling a high standard of care and pride in everything that we do. Their strong leadership empowers our whole team to bring the best of themselves to work each day - from medical assistants to anesthesiologists, nurses, administrative staff, and beyond. 

This year, seven of our board-certified reproductive endocrinologists have been honored with the prestigious Top Doctor award by Castle Connolly. 

Each Illume Fertility physician receiving the 2025 Top Doctor award is at the top of their field (Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility), maintaining the most up-to-date knowledge and skills required to provide the best possible outcomes for patients seeking assistance with fertility or family-building. 

A Note From Our Founder

"After guiding patients through more than 50,000 fertility treatment cycles, we recognize what a life-changing impact our physicians and patient care teams have made for families, both locally and internationally," said Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder and Medical Director at Illume Fertility and Gay Parents To Be.

"As we enter our 23rd year as a practice, we remain committed to providing personalized, holistic fertility care," Dr. Leondires adds. "In the field of reproductive health, innovation and collaboration are key, and these efforts are clearly reflected in our exceptional IVF success rates, which are above national averages. Everyone is welcome at Illume!"

What is Castle Connolly?

Since 1991, renowned publishing company Castle Connolly has compiled an annual list of America’s Top Doctors®. Every doctor on the list is nominated by peers in their specific field and reviewed by a physician-led research team.

Castle Connolly’s research methodology is designed to identify doctors who will achieve the best possible health outcomes for their patients. For a reproductive endocrinologist, that translates to successful fertility treatment cycles (IUI and IVF) resulting in pregnancies and babies.

As a result, only the top 7 percent of doctors in the United States receive this prestigious award, and honorees are rigorously selected by their peers from over 900,000 practicing physicians across the country. 

Which physicians received 2025 Top Doctor awards?

Congratulations to our amazing team! We are grateful to have such dedicated experts leading our practice, who continually go above and beyond for both their patients and coworkers. 

Illume Fertility physicians who received the 2025 Top Doctor award are:

• Dr. Mark Leondires
• Dr. Spencer Richlin
• Dr. Josh Hurwitz
• Dr. Shaun Williams
• Dr. Cynthia Murdock
• Dr. Ilana Ressler
• Dr. Laura Meyer

This recognition is a testament to all of our physicians’ hard work and passion for what they do, as well as the many lives they impact. Our practice was built to envelop our patients in exceptional, 360-degree care, and this distinction, as voted on by their physician-peers, only affirms our efforts towards maintaining that high level of care.

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What Their Patients Say

It's evident that our physicians take great pride in their work as reproductive endocrinologists (REIs), and strive to provide the best fertility and family-building care possible.

Since 2002, Illume Fertility has performed more than 50,000 IVF cycles, as well as assisting countless patients with oncofertility preservation, egg freezing, PCOS, and other reproductive health goals. 

We asked a few Illume Fertility patients to share their experiences with the seven physicians receiving Top Doctor awards this year. Here's what they had to say:

For Dr. Mark Leondires:

"Dr. Leondires is one of the most brilliant and caring people we have ever met. He takes the time to talk to his patients and addresses any questions they may have. His staff is incredible as well. They made us feel welcome and like family. We cannot say enough wonderful things about Dr. Leondires and Illume Fertility. We are unbelievably grateful for everything they have done for us."

-John

Learn more about Dr. Leondires and read his full bio here.

For Dr. Spencer Richlin:

"Dr. Richlin always made me feel so comforted and positive throughout my entire experience at Illume. He always made himself available to talk or answer my questions, take special care and pay attention to our needs. I would recommend Illume and Dr. Richlin to anyone."

-Toni

Learn more about Dr. Richlin and read his full bio here.

For Dr. Cynthia Murdock:

"We feel so lucky to have been under Dr. Murdock's care. She was always so caring and kind while the same time being clear and objective. She helped to build our knowledge and prepared us thoroughly to make decisions throughout the process. We really couldn't ask for any more from a doctor or a fertility clinic." 

-Jessica

Learn more about Dr. Murdock and read her full bio here.

For Dr. Joshua Hurwitz:

"I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Hurwitz. From the we met him, he made us feel at ease and took the time to explain things in a way that we could understand. He helped us look at things in different ways and throughout our treatment would even call us before big procedures to say good luck, and call again when we got good news to congratulate us. He was able to flexibly change the treatment plan when last minute tweaks were needed, and is the single greatest reason that my 2-year old son was born."

-Jami

Learn more about Dr. Hurwitz and read his full bio here.

For Dr. Shaun Williams:

"Dr. Williams is always professional and compassionate. He relates well to people and takes time to listen and take appropriate action on the symptoms. He is also good at building trust with his patients. Dr. Williams is one of the most caring doctors I have had the pleasure of working with. He does not rush you in and out, he takes time with his patients and actually listens."

-Ann

Learn more about Dr. Williams and read his full bio here.

Ready to get started?

Reach out to us today to learn how Illume's physician team can help you achieve your fertility or family-building goals with holistic, comprehensive care.

For Dr. Ilana Ressler:

"Dr. Ressler is patient and understanding and truly listens and create plans that truly prioritized her patients. She understood my husband and I’s background and took into consideration our culture, morals and beliefs. She took the time to truly explain everything and didn’t just create a game plan on her own and present to us…she took the time to create the plan with us - checking in on us every step of the way!"

-Former Patient

Learn more about Dr. Ressler and read her full bio here.

For Dr. Laura Meyer:

"Dr. Meyer was kind, trustworthy and patient with all of our questions. She never treated me like I was just a number. She actually seemed to care if we had a set back and she showed excitement when we became pregnant. She called me after I gave birth and asked that we bring our daughter to the office so she can meet her. If I had to go through fertility treatments all over again I would see Dr. Meyer - without a doubt."

-Former Patient

Learn more about Dr. Meyer and read her full bio here.

The Right Doctor Can Make All the Difference

Whether you are looking for reproductive healthcare or working to expand your family, finding the right doctor can be challenging. Those who are lucky enough to connect with a good physician who listens, responds, and supports them know just how fortunate they are.   

We are proud to have such a dedicated team of physicians leading the way here at Illume Fertility, helping thousands of patients achieve their fertility and family-building goals each year. Being recognized by Castle Connolly is simply an affirmation of their exceptional efforts and the high standard of care we strive to provide.