Donate Now!

Northern Ontario School of Medicine Granted Full Accreditation

Posted on March 20, 2009

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and the Government of Ontario are pleased to announce that NOSM, the first new medical school in Canada in over 30 years, has been granted full accreditation of its M.D. education program.

In Canada, accreditation is granted by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), two organizations that work together to set, maintain, and approve of the standards for undergraduate medical education at all Canadian medical schools.

Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Founding Dean, says news of full accreditation marks a significant accomplishment that was made possible by the efforts of many people over several years. “Receiving full accreditation of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s M.D. program is a crowning achievement in a multi-year process aimed at meeting all expected standards. I extend my congratulations and thank you to Dr. Joel Lanphear, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education, and staff, students, faculty members, physician clinical teachers, community members, Academic Council members, Board members, host universities, and government supporters-everyone who worked so hard to achieve this wonderful success.”

“I’m pleased that our government is continuing its strong support for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine,” said Bill Mauro, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan. “NOSM is special because it can focus on the unique and specific needs of Northern Ontario. It will play an important role in training doctors and in helping to deliver quality health care closer to home.”

“The importance of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to the quality of healthcare in Northern Ontario, and Ontario as a whole, cannot be overstated,” said Michael Gravelle, MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North. “This announcement will help to ensure that the school continues to supply highly trained, quality medical professionals for decades to come.”

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine provides extraordinary learning opportunities for students in Northern Ontario,” said Rick Bartolucci, MPP for Sudbury. “With this full accreditation, our students will be well positioned to becoming tomorrow’s health care leaders.”

Accreditation is one significant milestone in a year of many for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Another landmark of achievement for NOSM will occur this spring, when the School celebrates its first graduation of medical school undergraduates, and the completion of our first group of family medicine residents from the Family Medicine Residents of the Canadian Shield (FM RoCS) program.