The Canadian CMV Foundation is a national charity dedicated to preventing congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections and enhancing the well-being of those impacted.

Our aspiration is a world where congenital CMV is a thing of the past. Our vision is a world where congenital CMV is no longer a concern.

Our efforts revolve around four key areas:

Raising
Awareness

We spread knowledge about CMV through our website, social media, newsletters, campaigns, presentations, and conferences to inform the public and healthcare providers alike.

Supporting the
CMV Community

We create resources for caregivers, link families to local support, and collaborate with parent advisory committees to establish a strong Canadian support network.

Advocating for
Change

We urge provincial governments to implement universal newborn CMV screening programs to ensure comprehensive care for all babies born with CMV.

Championing Innovative
Research

Collaborating with our medical advisory board, we support research, including vaccine development, and offer scientific grants to enhance screening and treatment approaches.

Our Team

BEHIND THE SCENES

Rob Tétrault

Chair and Trustee

Rob serves as the chair and trustee of the Canadian CMV Foundation. His unwavering commitment to the vital cause of eradicating congenital CMV has deeply influenced his years as a father. His vision, unwavering dedication, and relentless efforts have been instrumental in establishing the Foundation. Rob approaches life with vibrant enthusiasm, often spreading cheer and reminding others to keep perspective. His contagious optimism regarding CMV's eventual eradication inspires those around him.

Marc Fodairt

Trustee

Marc is a forward-thinking executive who has advanced through the ranks of business in Winnipeg. He's been a key player in CMV fundraising efforts since the outset, and he's notably recognized for co-founding Le Classique: Western Canada's largest outdoor 3-on-3 ball hockey tournament. Marc's innovative approach to event organization, designed to attract thousands of spectators over a single weekend, has shaped this immensely popular community fundraiser.

Derrek Funk

Trustee

Derrek, a dedicated husband and father of three young children, boasts a rich history of accomplishments in the financial services sector. His journey began as a commercial lender and has evolved into his current role as an Investment Advisor. Derrek's roots with the Canadian CMV Foundation run deep – he was among the inaugural signatories of the trust document that established the foundation's legal framework. His contributions extend to the heart of the charity's major fundraising event, Le Classique, where he plays a pivotal role.

Kayla McNally

Executive Director

Kayla became a valued member of the Canadian CMV Foundation team in January 2020. Her dedication to supporting non-profits' success has been unwavering, as evidenced by her prior roles with esteemed organizations including United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Today, she considers herself fortunate to collaborate with a passionate team who share her commitment to preventing congenital CMV infections and improving quality of life for those affected. Originally hailing from New Brunswick and carrying the spirit of the East Coast with her, Kayla now resides in Ontario alongside her husband, daughter, and their cherished dog.

Medical Advisors

OUR MEDICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Ari Bitnun

Dr. Sean (Ari) Bitnun is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto and a staff physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). His main areas of interest are pediatric HIV, congenital infections, and infections of the central nervous system. He is the Director of the Family-Centered HIV Clinic and the Congenital and Perinatal Infection Clinic at SickKids.

Isabelle Boucoiran

Dr. Isabelle Boucoiran is a Clinical Associate Professor at Université de Montréal (UdeM). She graduated from the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis (France) in 2010. After a maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at UdeM and a fellowship in reproductive infectious diseases at the University of British Columbia, she joined the Public Health School of UdeM and the obstetrics and gynecology department of the CHU Sainte-Justine where she is co-director of the Women and Children Infectious Disease Centre, a provincial referral centre for congenital infections. She is a member of the SOGC Infectious Disease Committee. Her main research interests are infectious diseases in obstetrics-gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine.

Jason Brophy

Dr. Jason Brophy is a clinician investigator at the CHEO Research Institute and an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Brophy completed his medical degree and his pediatrics residency at Memorial University in Newfoundland, and his infectious diseases fellowship and CIHR-Canadian HIV Trials Network Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto. He also earned a master’s degree in health research methodology from McMaster University and a diploma in tropical medicine. He has a special interest in CMV research and has been a driving force behind Ontario’s universal CMV screening program.

Eliana Castillo

Dr. Eliana Castillo is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Her medical and teaching practice focuses on medical disorders in pregnancy and reproductive infectious diseases. She has been active in the areas of congenital CMV infection, immunization during pregnancy, and maternal mortality at a local and national level through her work with the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecologists of Canada, Alberta Perinatal Health Program, and National Advisory Committee for Immunization.

Fatima Kakkar

Dr. Fatima Kakkar is an infectious diseases pediatrician and clinician researcher at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, as well as an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Université de Montréal. She earned her medical degree at McGill University, followed by a residency in pediatrics at Western University, a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, and a master of Public Health at Harvard. She is co-director of the Women and Children Infectious Disease Centre in Montreal. Dr. Kakkar’s research interests include cCMV, mother-child infections, and epidemiology.

Marie Pigeon

Marie Pigeon received her degree from McGill University School of Human Communication Disorders. She provides support in the development and implementation of program protocols, training, and continuous quality improvement for the Ontario Infant Hearing Program. Marie is proud to be a part of the clinical group that worked to both conceptualize and operationalize risk factor screening for permanent hearing loss, which includes CMV, in Ontario. Marie provides clinical care in the Audiology Department at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

Soren Gantt

Soren Gantt, MD, PhD, MPH, is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist, the Director of Clinical Research at CHU Ste-Justine, and Professor of Microbiology and Pediatrics at the University of Montreal. Dr. Gantt completed the Medical Scientist Training Program at New York University, followed by a residency in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Gantt’s main research focus is on how CMV is transmitted and the development of vaccines to prevent congenital CMV infection.

Sharon Cushing

Dr. Sharon Cushing is a full-time pediatric otolaryngologist and the Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. Dr. Cushing has a clinical and surgical interest in disorders of the ear, including hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. Her research interest includes vestibular and balance dysfunction in children, and its association with hearing loss and cochlear implantation.

Jessica Dunn

Dr. Jessica Dunn, MD, MPH, FRCPC is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Alberta Children’s Hospital and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She earned her medical degree and Master of Public Health at Boston University, then pursued her Pediatric and Infectious Diseases post-graduate training at the University of Ottawa. She played a key role in the development of Newborn Screening Ontario’s CMV screening program as a risk factor for hearing loss, the first of its kind in the world, and continues to serve as the medical lead for this provincial program.

David Goldfarb

​​Dr. David Goldfarb is a medical microbiologist and pediatric infectious diseases specialist based at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, where he also serves as the Associate Head of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Rupeena Purewal

Dr. Rupeena Purewal is a pediatric infectious disease physician born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She completed her medical school at the University of Pécs in Hungary in 2012. Following that, she moved to the United States for a three-year Pediatric Residency training program at West Virginia University. In 2017, she returned to Canada to commence her Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellowship at the University of Manitoba. Since completing her fellowship, Dr. Purewal has been working in Saskatchewan since 2019, serving as a clinician and academic physician at the University of Saskatchewan. In addition, Dr. Purewal is the founder and host of an ID/Micro-based podcast titled "The Canadian Breakpoint."

Parent Advisors

OUR PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Lindsay Craig

Alberta

Lisa Robinson

Alberta

Andrea McLaughlin

British Columbia

Megan Studd

British Columbia

Michelle Tétrault

Manitoba

Rob Tétrault

Manitoba

Mike George

New Brunswick

Laija Beaulieu

Ontario

Pam Foster

Ontario

TBA

Saskatchewan

TBA

Saskatchewan

Advocate

WHAT CAN
YOU DO?

Dedicated to shaping a future where every Canadian newborn is screened for CMV, our efforts are resolute because the truth is undeniable – screening is a life-saving measure.

Your support is invaluable. Stand behind us in conveying the significance of CMV screening to local policy markers. Countless infants remain undetected, and the time has come for our nation to unite and declare that the status quo is inadequate. Together, let’s proclaim #Screen4CMV and bring an end to CMV with #StopCMV.

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Screening Map

CMV SCREENING ACROSS CANADA

Hover over a province on the map below to find out more about CMV screening in that region.

Hover over the provinces for more information.

Alberta
  • There are currently no province-wide screening protocols.
  • In 2023, the provincial government committed to adding congenital CMV to the universal newborn screening panel.
  • In the meantime, there is an effort underway to develop a targeted screening protocol in the Calgary Zone.
British Columbia:

Targeted screening protocols are followed across most of the province (including some infants from the Yukon), where CMV saliva PCR testing is offered for any newborn with suspected cCMV, including those that have failed newborn hearing screening.

Manitoba:
  • Targeted screening protocols are followed across the province, where dried blood spot (DBS) testing is offered for any newborn with suspected cCMV, including those that have failed newborn hearing screening.
  • If passed, Bill 226: The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Amendment Act would make screening for congenital CMV mandatory for all newborns across the province.
  • The newly-elected provincial government has been supportive of adding congenital CMV to the universal screening panel.
New Brunswick:
  • There are currently no province-wide screening protocols.
  • Physicians and audiologists can send DBS samples from infants with suspected cCMV to CHEO in Ottawa for testing. The cost of the test is covered by NB Medicare.
Newfoundland:
  • There are currently no province-wide screening protocols.
Nova Scotia:
  • There are currently no province-wide screening protocols.
  • Physicians and audiologists can send DBS samples to CHEO for CMV testing.
  • It is estimated that samples from <100 infants with suspected cCMV are tested each year.
Ontario:
  • All newborns are screened for cCMV at birth since 2019 (including some infants from Nunavut).
Prince Edward Island (PEI):
  • There are currently no province-wide screening protocols.
Quebec:
  • There are currently no province-wide screening protocols.
Saskatchewan:
  • All newborns are screened for cCMV at birth since 2022.
  • +21,000 infants have been screened to date.
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YOUR STORY
MATTERS

Sharing your story is a tender endeavor, yet it holds the power to let others know that they’re not alone in their journey. Whether you wish to share your story or explore ways to create an impact, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Your voice matters.

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