Speaker

Dara Roth Edney, BSW, MSW, RSW, is a Canadian Reproductive Counsellor, Registered Social Worker, and Psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in fertility-focused mental health care. She completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto and holds undergraduate degrees from York University and McGill University.

In 2008, she founded Informed Fertility, a group counselling practice supporting individuals, couples, and families across Canada and internationally, navigating infertility, pregnancy loss, donor conception, surrogacy, and complex reproductive decision-making. Dara’s work is grounded in a trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach, and she is deeply committed to serving diverse populations, including 2SLGBTQ+ clients, solo parents, racialized communities, and those with complex medical, psychosocial, or religious-based needs. She also provides assessments for donors, surrogates, and intended parents, and offers clinical supervision to other mental health professionals.

Dara designed and currently teaches Canada’s first university-level professional development course in fertility counselling at Wilfrid Laurier University. She presents regularly at national and international conferences, delivers workshops and training to clinical and community-based teams, and consults on ethics and public policy related to assisted human reproduction. She has contributed to numerous academic and community-based research initiatives focused on reproductive health, patient experience, and inclusive care.

Dara holds leadership roles with the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society and Donor Conception Canada, and works in close partnership with fertility clinics, legal professionals, and advocacy organizations to promote inclusive, patient-centered care.

Her work is informed not only by clinical expertise but also by her own lived experience with infertility and surrogacy.