Reproductive Medicine Associates (RMA) in Lake Mary, Florida, is proud to welcome Panayota N. Zarmakoupis, MD, to the team. Describing herself as innately curious and highly empathetic, Dr. Zarmakoupis wanted to pursue a medical specialty that would combine her clinical and intellectual interests with her passion for people. Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) offered her the opportunity to be on the front lines of cutting-edge science and innovative research while also delivering personalized and compassionate patient care.
During medical school, Dr. Zarmakoupis developed a keen interest in both the endocrine system and genetics and discovered she excelled at surgery. She also found the collaborative and complex nature of REI—one in which science, law, religion, and ethics intersect—to be fascinating. But above all, Dr. Zarmakoupis knew that caring for people through some of the most vulnerable and emotionally charged moments of their lives was her true calling, and she wanted a field where she could develop long-term relationships with patients. REI’s focus on scientific advancements, its multidisciplinary approach, and the special bonds that form between physicians and prospective parents made the specialty the perfect fit.
Dr. Zarmakoupis’s passion and expertise in the field is evident from her many awards, research, and accomplishments. Notable career highlights include pioneering several “firsts” in the field, such as establishing the first pregnancy and live birth using testicular sperm in Kentucky; being one of the first practitioners to offer preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) and family balancing; and being a forerunner in treating LGBTQ+ patients in Kentucky via oocyte donation, sperm donation, and surrogacy. In addition, Dr. Zarmakoupis has also earned several teaching awards for her work with medical students and residents, and she has a special interest in global health, which has included practicing in the UAE, doing volunteer work on infertility throughout Africa, and writing and reviewing policies on assisted reproductive technology (ART). She counts efficiency in infertility treatment, low responders to in vitro fertilization (IVF), recurrent implantation failure, and PGT-A and preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) among her clinical interests.
Originally from Greece, Dr. Zarmakoupis attended the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine in Greece before following her brother, a vascular surgeon, to the US for postgraduate training. She completed her residency at NYU Langone Hospital in Mineola, NY, where she served as chief resident, and then moved to Tampa, Fla., where she did her fellowship in REI at the University of South Florida. She is double board certified in OB/GYN and REI and is licensed to practice in the US, Greece, and the UAE. During her career, Dr. Zarmakoupis has served as the medical director for several OB/GYN and REI practices. Her resume also includes time spent as a consultant/examiner for the Department of Health/Health Authority of Abu Dhabi for the REI license in the UAE, and she has been a faculty member and professor for several medical schools and universities.
Whether lecturing, volunteering, or seeing prospective parents in her office, Dr. Zarmakoupis has found that personally connecting with patients is just as important as offering the most advanced infertility treatments. She draws everyday inspiration from the thank you notes she receives from patients – not just the ones that include pictures of newborn babies but also the ones from patients who were not able to conceive but felt heard, understood and guided into making the decisions that were right for them. She finds the joy of watching a couple become parents after years of struggle hard to compare to anything else, and she derives immense gratification from helping her patients achieve success with thoughtful, individualized treatment plans.
Since infertility can trigger a wide range of emotions, Dr. Zarmakoupis believes acknowledging these feelings by actively listening to patients is the first step towards connecting with them. She understands that many infertility patients experience a sense of loss – whether it’s the loss of the dream of a biological child, the loss of control over their bodies, or the feeling of failure despite their best efforts – and can struggle with the uncertainty of their future, and she is dedicated to helping them navigate the deeply emotional and complex journey of infertility treatment. She educates patients on their options to reduce any overwhelm or confusion, and she involves them in decision-making to give them a sense of empowerment and agency. Having cared for infertility patients on three different continents, Dr. Zarmakoupis knows firsthand that every patient’s fertility journey is different. Her strong cultural awareness has shaped her as a person and a physician, and she is committed to offering personalized treatment options based on each patient’s individual circumstances and emotional needs that align with their values, beliefs and life goals.
Dr. Zarmakoupis only wants the best for her patients, and that made joining RMA an easy decision. RMA’s merger with IVI in 2017 had brought together the best of what the US and Europe have to offer in ART, and she found that at RMA, she could participate in groundbreaking research and directly apply that knowledge in clinical practice. RMA’s culture of continuous learning and adapting to new discoveries also keeps her work dynamic and stimulating and, most importantly, her patients benefit from the outstanding embryology support that leads to high success rates. She knew RMA’s commitment to excellence and innovation would be professionally fulfilling.
While the field of REI is professional passion, Dr. Zarmakoupis also finds great fulfillment in her many personal interests. She enjoys music of all genres – especially opera, symphony and chamber music – and loves venturing abroad to discover new cultures and destinations off the beaten path. When traveling in Europe, she often frequents museums of modern art, and she is known to combine her vacations to places like Sub-Saharan Africa with lectures and volunteer work to help educate and raise awareness about infertility. Dr. Zarmakoupis’s childhood in Greece, with summers spent by the beach, cultivated a love of swimming and being by the water, and she enjoys hiking and the calming effects of nature. However, above all, she treasures time with her two daughters, whether they’re planning their next adventure as a family, exploring new restaurants, shopping, or enjoying pizza and a movie at home. A trip to Namibia, ballroom dance lessons, and watching the Cavalleria Rusticana opera at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando are currently on her to-do list.
