DR. MARJORIE DIXON: MAKING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

Dr. Marjorie Dixon always knew she would become a medical doctor. When she was six years old she convinced her parents to pay for a cable television subscription so they could watch a show on PBS about the first open-heart surgery. In high school, on the 10th birthday of the world’s first IVF baby, she read a magazine article about the breakthrough. She was hooked on the science, the opportunity to advance important research in genomics and, most importantly, to change lives for the better.

“My parents immigrated from Jamaica and said this country is amazing, make sure you give back.”

She would go on to complete an accelerated medical degree from Mcgill University’s School of Medicine, postgraduate training at the University of Toronto in obstetrics and gynecology and a three-year sub-specialty with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Vermont to obtain an Accredited Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

Today, in addition to being a highly recognized and respected expert in her field, in-demand speaker/educator, member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Dr. Dixon is also an Award-winning business leader and recipient of a 2023 WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award in the Compass Rose Entrepreneurs category.

She founded Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health, a full-service fertility and IVF centre that is also home to Canada’s first next-generation embryology laboratory.

Her vision: to become a template for bestin-class care.

“At first, I thought I was going to be a research scientist. I saw genomics as the future of what was going to transform my subspeciality,” says Dr. Dixon. However, once she began her practice in a hospital-affiliated clinic and became an IVF patient herself, she recognized the need for a new model of care. “I felt patients weren’t at the centre of care.” Nor were they benefiting from the latest technological advancements, which could improve patient outcomes. “Coming back to Canada from the U.S. felt like moving back in time. We were still using paper charts. We did not have electronic medical records.”

Dr. Dixon also saw and was sensitive to the impact of implicit and explicit societal biases in access to reproductive and

infertility healthcare. She didn’t just witness it. She experienced it herself.

“I have been othered my entire life. I was one of two Black women in my medical school. I was one of three Black students in my private girls’ school in Montreal.” The school’s credo was not for ourselves alone, but for the world. These were more than just words for Dr. Dixon. “We were going to be the future astronauts, engineers, leaders, innovators. We were going to forge the universe for us. I believed in that ideal. I believed in justice and equity.”

Her commitment to these beliefs drives her approach to her patients and the way she has built and grown her business. When she started her medical practice in 2003, gay marriage had just become legal, but there were still barriers to care for people in the LGBTQ+ community.

She began public speaking and advocating for change, which led to her being selected to serve as a consultant to the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care in the development of the Ontario Fertility Program. The program was introduced in 2015 and provides $70 million of funding annually for fertility treatments including cycle monitoring with IUI and IVF. “It’s not perfect but at least it’s bringing more people to care,” says Dr. Dixon, who continues to consult on how that system can be improved.

When she launched Anova in 2016, the fertility industry in Ontario was dominated by a few large players led by men. They had been in place upwards of at least 10 years, with little pressure to “level up,” says Dr. Dixon.

“I came out to disturb the industry,” she says. “I’m a clinic owner who is a scientist. I knew what we needed to change to get better rates of pregnancy and embryo creation for patients as opposed to what I was subject to as someone who sublet other labs.”

Dr. Dixon was equally focused on ensuring access to quality care delivered with compassion and transparency regardless of geography, identity, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or socio-economic status. To that end, she has built a team of health-care providers committed to inclusivity and to supporting patients through what can be an arduous journey.

In 2019, Dr. Dixon partnered with a venture capital fund which has allowed her to grow topline revenues and expand her reach and influence while always putting the needs of the patient first. She is also delivering on one of her early motivations: to change the landscape. “I see young women starting satellite clinics so they can build a career in the industry.”

Dr. Dixon maintains her medical practice, teaches and speaks at local non-profits to increase awareness about the availability of services for the LGBTQ+ community and contributes internationally recognized research about preserving fertility for transgendered youth before transitioning. She was also one of the main proponents and founders of the LGBTQ+ special interest group at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

“I’m an advocate by nature and have business acumen. It isn’t easy. For me, there have been moments where people have been antagonistic by virtue of my ambition and my resiliency.”

The name she chose for her game-changing business reflects her ideals and ambition. “Anova is a statistical term, a power term: analysis of variance. It’s what you use to make sure the information you put into a research study is reliable. It’s also a play on an ovum or one egg in Latin. I also want us to be a rock star, like a supernova, I want us to continue to grow, disturb, lead and be innovators in our field.”

When you’re infertile, you feel broken. I never lose sight of the magical nature of what it is I get to do every day. It’s a tremendous privilege and honour. I feel lucky

BY MARY TERESA BITTI