Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Introduced in Alberta and Saskatchewan
We are excited to share that through the advocacy efforts of Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC), in the past week both Saskatchewan and Alberta’s provincial governments have implemented newborn screening (NBS) programs for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)!
On February 23rd, Saskatchewan officially expanded their newborn screening panel to include testing for SMA as part of its newborn screening program, and on February 28th Alberta announced that through a pilot project with MDC, newborns will be able to be screened for SMA.
MDC continues to work diligently with donors, provincial governments, partners and supporters to remove barriers so that screening for SMA in Canada is a reality. Read more about MDC’s multi-year, multi-phase endeavour in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. to better understand and address barriers for the implementation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
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Six Annual NMD4C and MDC Clinical Fellowship Competition from Opens May 1st
Together, NMD4C and MDC are excited to open our 2027 annual funding competition to provide clinical fellowship award(s) in neuromuscular medicine and electromyography (EMG)! This annual funding competition provides one-year salary support ($80,000) for early-career clinicians to participate in Canadian neuromuscular medicine and EMG fellowship training programs.
Announcing the 2026 NMD4C Award Recipients
We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 NMD4C Awards, recognizing excellence, leadership, and impact across Canada’s neuromuscular research community. In this fourth cycle, the program introduces two new award categories, and expand on our ability to celebrate the work of contributions of trainees and patient partners who strengthen our national network.
Expanding Our Impact: NMD4C BSTC Launches New Subcommittees and Welcomes New Members
We are so excited to introduce the new members of the NMD4C Basic Science Trainee Committee! This enthusiastic group of researchers from across the country is stepping up to contribute to some of our most important initiatives for trainees.