Meet Our Providers
Safa Rifka, MD, FACOG
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Specialist
Rafat A. Abbasi, MD, FACOG
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Specialist
Preston Sacks, MD, FACOG
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Specialist
About Dr. Safa Rifka
As a reproductive specialist and OB/GYN in practice for over 40 years, Safa Rifka, MD, FACOG is known for helping with the most complex of infertility cases. Dr. Rifka is a highly successful board certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist.
He co-founded the first division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Georgetown University. Later, in the 1980s, he co-founded the D.C. area’s first IVF lab in the DC metropolitan area at Columbia Hospital for Women.
Dr. Rifka founded Columbia Fertility Associates in 1999.
After earning his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut., he went through both his internship and residency at the American University Hospital in Lebanon before relocating to the United States. Not only did Dr. Rifka complete additional fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility through the National Institutes of Health, he opted to enhance his education and experience even further.
He went on to finish his board certification through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Rifka is currently board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI), as well as obstetrics and gynecology. He’s also a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
As a trusted leader in reproductive health, Dr. Rifka has published numerous peer-reviewed studies on the effects of hormones on the male and female reproductive systems. In 2016, Dr. Rifka was recognized as one of Washingtonian Magazine’s Top Doctors.
Being fluent in English, Arabic and French allows Dr. Rifka to be able to communicate with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Dr. Rifka is currently accepting new patients.
About Dr. Rafat A. Abbasi
Rafat A. Abbasi, MD, FACOG is a highly respected physician at Columbia Fertility Associates in Washington, D.C. Dr. Abbasi practices reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She is especially interested in recurrent pregnancy loss and implantation failure.
Dr. Abbasi earned her medical degree at the Liaquat University of Health Sciences in Pakistan. She went on to complete her residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Towson, MD. Dr. Abbasi completed her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and the pregnancy research branch at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Abbasi has served on active duty in the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, VA, and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.
She is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, and clinical reproductive immunology. Dr. Abbasi has been chosen annually by her peers as a Washingtonian magazine “Top Doc.”
Dr. Abbasi is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital. She is actively involved as a preceptor to first- and second-year medical students, and she continues her interest in clinical research with multicenter clinical trials.
Dr. Abbasi has been a board member of Rainbow Families DC, an LGBTQ organization. She is also a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
About Dr. Preston Sacks
Preston Sacks, MD, FACOG – OB/GYN is a highly experienced fertility specialist at Columbia Fertility Associates in Washington, D.C.
A New Orleans native, Dr. Sacks earned his medical degree at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He went on to complete an obstetrics and gynecology residency and a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Sacks started working with the Columbia Fertility Associates team during his medical training, and he officially joined the practice in 1992.
Dr. Sacks has consistently been recognized by Washingtonian magazine as a top infertility specialist. He has been a clinical investigator on several trials of fertility medications and serves on the medical advisory board for MedStar Surgery Center.