BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Jeffrey Roberts, MD, FRCSC

President

Dr. Roberts has B.Sc. and M.D. degrees from the University of British Columbia. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University, then a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.

Upon completing his training, Dr. Roberts was appointed Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University, where he served as a Reproductive Endocrinologist and director of the Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island Egg Donation Program. Presently he practices clinical and academic medicine as the co-director of the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) and Assistant Clinical Professor in the University Of British Columbia Faculty Of Medicine departments of Anesthesia, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He is an active member of the Reproductive Medicine community in Canada and has served on the board of executives for the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) since 2008 as the National Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Director, and presently sits on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Technical Subcommittee on Reproductive Tissues.

Dr. Roberts is particularly dedicated to advancement of the field of fertility preservation for young women with cancer. Through his work as the director of the PCRM Fertility Preservation Foundation and the chair of the CFAS Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group, he has contributed widely to this important topic within our discipline, through lecturing, research and publication.

Dr. Karen Buzaglo

Vice-President

Dr. Buzaglo is the medical director of Procrea fertility clinics (Montreal, St-Hubert and Quebec city) and director of women’s health at Clinique Medic Elle in Montreal. She graduated from McGill University’s faculty of Medicine and pursued residency at McGill in Obstetrics & Gynecology. She became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2011, then completed fellowship training in Gynecologic Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (GREI) at l’Université de Montréal with Royal College certification in 2013.

Dr. Buzaglo’s main areas of interest include fertility preservation for cancer patients and elective egg freezing. She is the current chair of the Fertility Preservation SIG (Special Interest Group) of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society. In this capacity, she organized the first hands-on workshop on ovarian tissue freezing in Canada. She is the Canadian co-author of the work “Creating a global community of practice for Oncofertility”, published in the Journal of Global Oncology, and co-authored the Canadian medical guideline entitled “Egg freezing for Age-related fertility decline”.

Dr. Buzaglo is actively involved in medical research, and has presented her work at the Society for Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), as well as the International Society for Fertility Preservation (ISFP). She was the winner of the Eric and Jane Molson Prize for Excellence in research from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at McGill University in 2010.

Danielle Dubois

Director

Dubois joined the Ottawa Fertility Centre in 2011. Danielle completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Queen’s University, receiving the AJ Baumgart Outstanding Achievement Award. She is now completing her Masters of Health Studies through Athabasca University and maintains professional affiliations with CFAS, CNO, RNAO with special interest groups in Nursing Research and the Nursing Leadership Network of Ontario.
Danielle began her nursing career in Edmonton, working at the University Hospital, the Birth Control Centre and the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). While with SART, she received the Alberta Health Regional Reach Award in Teamwork. Danielle has worked within the world of fertility and endocrinology since 2005. She was an integral part of developing the IVF Program at the Edmonton Fertility and Women’s Endocrine Clinic, receiving the advanced practice SMART ART X Community Outreach Award for her achievements in the success of Edmonton’s IVF program.

As the Clinical Manager at the Ottawa Fertility Centre, Danielle oversees the nursing, phlebotomy and ultrasound department team members, as well as participates in quality control and clinical improvement measures. She is active in the centre’s research program, currently working with the research team on a Phase 3 Clinical trial. Danielle has developed poster presentations at the 2012 & 2013 CFAS conferences, participates in the OFC Community Outreach events, and has contributed her extracurricular time towards two independent fertility related projects.

Brooke Eagle, MSW, RSW

Director

Brooke Eagle is a registered social worker with 14 years of experience in the non-profit sector. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Carleton University.

Brooke is passionate about reducing barriers to support and services and helping others to live their lives to their fullest potential. For over 10 years, Brooke developed and managed comprehensive, evidence-based mental health and addiction services for adults in the Ottawa area. During her career, she has developed specialized services for family members, for adult survivors of childhood trauma, for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and for individuals living with acquired brain injuries and/or concurrent disorders. In 2013, Brooke joined the faculty of the School of Social Work at Carleton University, where she coordinates the field education program and teaches in the Bachelor of Social Work program.

In addition to her professional experience, Brooke is a mom who faced her own reproductive health issues on her journey to motherhood. She is thrilled to be a member of the Board of Directors of Fertile Future, and to support their mission to inform, educate and support cancer patients who are facing fertility-risking medical treatment.

Vilja Jaako

Director

After studying at Queen’s University School of Business (BComm, Hons.), Vilja joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in Toronto to pursue a career in accounting. Vilja completed her CPA, CA designation in 2005 and is now back at PwC Vancouver after a recent three year secondment to PwC Sydney, Australia. Vilja is now an Exp. Senior Manager at PwC, with over 12 years of experience in accounting public practice. Vilja has technical experience providing audit & assurance in the industry, technology and not-for profit sectors, as well as working with client service teams on prospectuses, business combinations, US filings, due diligence, annual audits (incl. SEC & SOX clients, US foreign private issuers and domestic filers) and quarterly reviews.

Vilja is also a dedicated mom of two young boys who keep her life busy and fun. She is excited to be a member of the Board of Directors for Fertile Future, and support the organisation’s mission to provide hope and opportunity for all patients to experience the joy of being a mom one day.

Tessa Bendyshe-Walton

Director, Vancouver, BC

After completing her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of British Columbia, Tessa began working as part of a research team at BC Children’s Hospital in the Oncology Department. Their research focuses on finding drug safety solutions for cancer patients by seeking explanations for why one child experiences a side effect to their chemotherapy medication and another child who takes the same medication does not.

Tessa became largely interested in Fertile Future because fertility is a major problem associated with the drugs she studies, and drug safety and improving patient’s quality of life are two things she is very passionate about.

Tessa has been involved with a number of non-profit organizations in the past and was awarded both the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and Violet Richardson Award in 2009 for her efforts and contributions. She is very excited to be working with Fertile Future, which combines both her interest in non-profit causes and in improving the healthcare and quality of life for all patients.

Amanda Hancock

Director

Amanda is a graduate of Queen’s School of Business and a Fellow of Memorial University’s Applied Health Services Research Master’s Degree program. Amanda is a Human Resources professional in St. John’s, Newfoundland and coaches swimming in her spare time.

 

Ellen Greenblatt, BSc, MDCM, FRCSC(REI), ABOG(REI)

Director

Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Toronto; Head, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, MSH; Medical Director, Mount Sinai Fertility (MSF), Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Greenblatt is working to optimize outcomes from assisted reproductive technology by combining translational research on endometrial receptivity and clinical assessment of embryo development to improve implantation rates and lower multiple pregnancies. Her clinical research interests include Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, obesity, and fertility preservation for young people facing cancer.. She served as chair of the Advisory Panel to the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care regarding fertility services that led to the launch of the Ontario Fertility Programme (OFP) by the Ministry of Health in Dec 2015. Dr Greenblatt advocates regularly for improved access to fertility treatment and is passionate about access to fertility preservation.

Caitlin Dunne, MD, FRCSC

Director

Dr. Dunne is doubly certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Obstetrics & Gynecology and in Gynecologic Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility. After studying science at McGill University and the University of London (UK), Dr. Dunne obtained her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario. She then completed her residency and subspecialty training at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Dr. Dunne is also a registered sonographer for gynecologic ultrasound with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Dr. Dunne’s goal is to provide compassionate and patient-centered care based on a foundation of scientific evidence. She has participated in numerous clinical studies and published research on in vitro fertilization, gynecologic surgery and ovarian disease. She is also active as a reviewer for the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Canada. Her ongoing involvement in education includes lecturing to medical students and residents at the University of British Columbia medical school.

As a mom and a professional, Dr. Dunne appreciates the importance of fertility and the challenges that women and men can face in creating their families. She is committed to understanding each patient’s unique circumstances and developing a treatment plan that best suits a couple’s, or individual’s, vision for growing a family.