NOSM Announces Three Senior Appointments

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Janice Willett as Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Dr. David MacLean as Assistant Dean of Research, and Dr. Owen Prowse as Assistant Dean of Admissions.

“Drs. Willett, MacLean, and Prowse have valuable expertise to share with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s community, and experience that greatly complements the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM’s Dean. “On behalf of NOSM, I congratulate Drs. Willett, MacLean, and Prowse on their appointments, and wish them every success as they contribute to NOSM’s leadership in distributed, community-engaged education and research.”

Dr. Janice Willett, Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Effective November 1, 2013

Dr. Willett will be responsible for Faculty Affairs, ensuring that NOSM’s faculty members have the support they require to enhance their teaching, research and other scholarly activities. In addition, she will be responsible for the leadership of NOSM’s Continuing Education and Professional Development (CEPD) program.

Dr. Willett has been in medical practice for 24 years. She is a medical graduate of University of Western Ontario, London, where she completed postgraduate training. in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has practiced in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario since 1992 with her husband who is also a surgeon.

Dr. Willett has held many leadership positions including as medical director of Maternal Child Program and Surgery Program at the Sault Area Hospital in the past and currently serves on the Sault Area Hospital Foundation Board. She has many years’ experience of leadership at the Ontario Medical Association where she was President in 2007. Recently, she has served as Chair of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Committee on Education and Professional Development and currently is leading development of a CMA policy on physician fatigue management. Dr. Willett was appointed Head of the Clinical Sciences Division at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in 2010 and Chair of NOSM’s Academic Council in 2012. She participates on numerous other committees at NOSM.

Dr. David MacLean, Assistant Dean, Research
Effective July 1, 2013

As Assistant Dean of Research, Dr. MacLean will be responsible for aspects of planning, development, and implementation of a research strategy that supports NOSM’s Strategic Plan. Dr. MacLean will build NOSM’s research culture among NOSM faculty and learners that promotes excellence and innovation, and foster research activities that positively impact the health of those living in Northern communities.

Dr. MacLean attained his PhD at the University of Guelph and then two post-doctoral fellowships, one at the Copenhagen Muscle Research Center (1994-1996) and the second in the Division of Cardiology at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) College of Medicine (1996-1998). He then accepted a faculty position at PSU in the Division of Cardiology where he was Director of the NIH funded Microdialysis Core Laboratory until 2001. Dr. MacLean then accepted a position at Kent State University as the Director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory until 2004 at which time Dr. MacLean returned to Canada to join NOSM as a faculty member in the Division of Medical Sciences. During his career, Dr. MacLean has received funding and enjoyed research collaborations with such agencies as the American Heart Association, NIH, NASA, NSERC and CIHR.

Dr. Owen Prowse, Assistant Dean, Admissions
Effective August 1, 2013

In his new role, Dr. Prowse will be responsible for all aspects of planning, implementing, and evaluating NOSM’s MD admissions process, as well as for the recruitment of applicants to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Dr. Prowse is an Attending Surgeon at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and has held a faculty appointment at NOSM in the Clinical Sciences Division as Assistant Professor of Surgery since 2005.

Dr. Prowse began his career by completing his MD, at the University of Toronto and then two post-graduate training programs, one at the University of Toronto in the Department of Surgery – Oncology (1994-1999) and the second at the Albert Einstein University – Montefiore Medical Center in General Surgery (1999-2001). Dr. Prowse then completed a Surgical Oncology and Laparoscopy fellowship at the Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida (2002-03) where he was hired on as a Urological Surgeon. During his career, Dr. Prowse has been affiliated with many medical organizations such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Transplantation Society and the Canadian Medical Association. He has also received numerous awards, including the Specialist New Preceptor of the Year Award – 2005-2006 for the Family Medicine North Residency Program – McMaster University and Northern Ontario School of Medicine.