Fertility Preservation SIG
The Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group (SIG) of CFAS is a body of clinicians who provide fertility preservation services and counseling for women and men undergoing potentially sterilizing medical procedures, as well as individuals with an interest in upgrading their knowledge and skills relevant to this area of practice.
Dr. Jennia Michaeli, MD, BSc, ObGyn, REI
Chair
Dr. Jennia Michaeli is a Clinician-Investigator and Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto, and a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist at Mount Sinai Fertility Centre. She received her medical degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, followed by a clinical fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Michaeli established the first Canadian program for ovarian tissue transportation and centralized cryobanking in Ontario, creating a provincial model for fertility preservation access, and working on scaling up these services to the national level. She founded and serves as Medical Co-Lead of the Pediatric Fertility Preservation Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and advancing fertility preservation care for children and adolescents across the province by collaborating with multiple pediatric oncology programs. At the international level, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee in the Pediatric and Adolescent Committee of the Oncofertility Consortium, helping shape clinical guidelines and best practices in the field.
Her clinical practice focuses on oncofertility, providing comprehensive fertility preservation counseling and services for patients facing cancer treatments and other fertility-threatening conditions. She specializes in fertility care for cancer survivors, addressing the unique reproductive challenges faced by this population and helping them achieve their family-building goals.
Her research focuses on novel biomarkers of reproductive fitness and gamete quality, with particular emphasis on fertility preservation and reproductive aging. Dr. Michaeli has published her work in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. She is dedicated to advancing fertility preservation services and advocating for improved care of vulnerable populations requiring fertility preservation for urgent medical indications.
Dr. Shu Foong, MD, FRCSC
Vice-Chair
Dr. Foong completed medical training in 1997 followed by a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Calgary. She subsequently completed a 3-year American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Mayo Clinic, USA. During this time, she was selected as one of “America’s Top Physicians 2004-2005” by the Consumers’ Research Council of America. Upon returning to Canada, Dr. Foong was appointed to the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology where she was on staff at the Mt. Sinai Hospital Reproductive Biology Unit. Dr. Foong returned to Calgary in 2006 where she currently practices at the Regional Fertility Program and is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Foong’s clinical and research interests include fertility preservation and premature ovarian failure. She has presented and published her research in several peer-reviewed journals and at both national and international conferences.
Madison Erb, BSc, MHSc
Secretary/Treasurer
Madison is an Andrologist/Embryologist who graduated from the University of Toronto’s Clinical Embryology master’s program in 2023. Her passion for fertility preservation was sparked in her first semester with a simple presentation on the effects of cyclophosphamide on fertility. This passion led her to pursue a capstone research project on the validation and optimization of slow freezing protocols for ovarian tissue, which would go on to build the foundation of the fertility preservation program at Mount Sinai Fertility. Her research on ovarian tissue cryopreservation has been presented at the University of Toronto’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Day, and won an award at the Oncofertility Consortium in November of 2023. Madison is dedicated to continuing her education in fertility preservation and sharing her expertise with others through mentorship. She remains committed to making a meaningful impact in the in the field of fertility preservation through her ongoing dedication to research and clinical work.
Dr. Haidar Mahmoud, MD, BSc, FRCSC
Executive Member
Dr. Haidar Mahmoud is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and completed his residency training at the University of Toronto in 1995. He is a member of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS), the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Dr. Mahmoud has been actively involved in both clinic practice and medical leadership throughout his career.
Dr. Mahmoud is a long-standing staff member in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Scarborough Health Network (SHN), where he served as a chief of the department from 2004 to 2010. He was also a Council Member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario from 2014 to 2020.
In addition to his clinical and leadership roles, Dr. Mahmoud has contributed to medical education. He served as a lecturer for medical students and residents in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto, where he developed a strong focus on quality improvement and patient safety. In recognition of his contributions to education, he received the SHN Award of Excellence in Medical Education in 2013. Additionally, he was awarded the Chair’s Award for Excellence in Integrated Undergraduate Education from the University of Toronto in both 2016 and 2018.
Dr. Mahmoud’s special interest in Fertility and Reproductive Medicine encouraged his extensive experience, providing care to patients at various fertility clinics across the Greater Toronto Area. He is highly skilled in Minimally Invasive Reproductive Surgery, and brings vast expertise in managing uterine and pelvic conditions to patients requiring the specialized care.
Dr. Kimia Sorouri, MD, MPH
Executive Member
Dr. Kimia Sorouri is a clinician-researcher with an interest in oncofertility, particularly fertility preservation and ovarian toxicity of anti-cancer drugs and novel therapeutics. She is currently completing her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta and concurrently appointed as a research fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/ Harvard Medical School. She is an incoming Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) Fellow at Mount Sinai Fertility/ University of Toronto.
She completed her medical training at the University of Toronto and received her Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard University as a Frank Knox Memorial Fellow. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/ Harvard Medical School with Dr. Ann H. Partridge researching the reproductive health of cancer patients and survivors. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at national and international conferences; she was awarded the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Merit Award in 2024 and was one of four abstracts selected for the Press Program, a distinction given to less than one percent of Annual Meeting abstracts.
Dr. Sorouri is deeply committed to improving access to fertility preservation across Canada and increasing surveillance of ovarian toxicity of current and novel therapies globally.
Dr. Stephanie Dufour, MD, REI, PAG, MBA(c)
Executive Member
Dr. Stéphanie Dufour is a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Her practice focuses on fertility preservation, assisting patients facing infertility, planning for future family-building, or undergoing medical treatments such as chemotherapy that may impact fertility.
She completed her medical degree at McGill University and a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Laval University. She then pursued fellowships in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology at CHEO and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Ottawa Fertility Centre. In addition, she trained in Fertility Preservation at l’Université de Lille in France, a center of excellence in the field. This advanced training included expertise in ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation, expanding the options available for patients seeking to safeguard their fertility.
She thrives to tailor treatment to each individual’s circumstances and aims to provide clear information and compassionate guidance to help patients make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Dr. Karen Glass, MD
Past-Chair
Dr. Glass, born in Toronto, started her scientific training in high school at the Ontario Science Centre. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario, her medical degree from the University of Ottawa, and completed her obstetrics and gynecology training at McMaster University.
Her interest in laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgery led her to UCLA for a two-year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, as well as urogynecology, working with Dr. David Meldrum’s team.
In 1999, Dr. Glass returned to Canada as an Assistant Professor at McMaster University. By 2002, she focused on fertility preservation for oncology patients at the CReATe Fertility Centre in Toronto, where she is now Director of Fertility Preservation. She also works at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Women’s College Hospital, and is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Glass chairs the Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society and served on the executive of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's group. She has co-investigated a prestigious grant for the RUBY Study and previously participated in the Oncofertility Working Group for Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology. She currently sits on the Medical Advisory Panel for Fertile Future and was their “Evening of Hope” Honouree in 2015. Dr. Glass is frequently invited to speak on oncofertility across Canada and is dedicated to guiding young cancer patients in their fertility preservation options.