Philanthropy for Social Accountability

“Philanthrōpos” is a Greek word that means love of humankind. It brings people together and has the power to unite groups in a collective manner, inspiring improvements based on social accountability.

In many ways this is NOSM’s mantra as we embark on a new strategic path and renew our commitment to social accountability. NOSM is more than a medical school; it is a government strategy to address the health needs of Northern Ontarians, improve access to quality care, and contribute to the economic development of Northern Ontario. Your medical school –in the north, for the north, by the north– was established with this social accountability mandate.

Thanks to the upsurge of people who’ve supported NOSM for almost 20 years, we have a lot to show for our short history. NOSM has developed strong relationships and engagement with remote rural, Indigenous and Francophone communities. We have partnerships and collaborations with more than 100 organizations, in more than 90 communities, and more than 1,700 clinical, human and medical sciences faculty dispersed across all of Northern Ontario – otherwise known as NOSM’s campus.

Support to NOSM has come in all forms, from the many people and communities who have embraced NOSM learners, to those who advocate for improved health services in the region and thousands of donors and philanthropists who have placed their trust in our School.

Philanthropy investments have a powerful effect on the performance of a medical school. You’ve not only helped NOSM to perform, but you’ve also positioned our medical school to continuously outperform itself in the delivery of our mandate.

Financial pressures on learners
Philanthropy enables organizations to leverage not only their own resources, but also the existing efforts and infrastructure of others who share a mutual vision. This year, in addition to funds collected towards the NOSM Student Emergency fund, medical learners financially affected by COVID-19 received relief from a grant program through the Canadian Medical Association Foundation. Under normal circumstances, our learners cope with heavy financial burden but the pandemic has exacerbated the situation. In fact, on average, Canadian medical graduates report a debt of $84,172 for medical-school expenses and $80,516 of non-education related debt.

Government funding and tuition cover some of the operating costs for medical schools, but without philanthropy the majority of student support initiatives would die on the vine. This distinguishes NOSM as a medical school that can support and sustain its students when they need it most, while attracting students with promise who otherwise couldn’t afford to attend.

Student bursaries are the foundation of our philanthropy. At NOSM there are several cases where a single bursary changed the trajectory of a person’s life.

Innovation in education and training
Delivering health-care services is a challenge in any environment, but it is one that becomes particularly daunting in a setting like Northern Ontario. We see the direct benefits of charitable giving, notably its huge impact on innovation in education and training.

Through a recent donation from Dr. Hugh Robertson of $1.2 million, NOSM will be able to broaden the scope of our social accountability outcomes several years sooner than planned. Increasing our focus on Northern Ontario communities, partnering on innovative population-health research and engaging in cutting-edge education will advance the work that we are doing and will help establish sustainable solutions to health care in Northern Ontario. Some of this donation will go towards the establishment of a new one-of-a-kind Center for Social Accountability that will tackle issues that create inequitable health care in the North such as poverty, water insecurity and climate change.

Transformative gifts are game changers 
Financial challenges are a commonality among the majority of medical schools in Canada. Many lack the resources to significantly improve their educational, research, and clinical programs.

Recently, a $250 million gift was received by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine to support Artificial Intelligence, biomedical research collaboration and equity—this is a game changer. The investment also included $10 million for the Dean’s COVID-19 priority fund. This record-high donation by the Temerty family triggered the naming of the third of six medical schools in Ontario named in recognition of philanthropists.

While there are some notable exceptions, major medical school donations are usually designated gifts. Rarely are donations made to a medical school’s general fund that allow for much discretion on the part of administrators. Donors to educational institutions understand the needs of the School and direct their gifts to align with their personal philanthropic goals while contributing to the strategic direction of the institution.

Who is giving to NOSM?
Since NOSM’s inception, 91% of donations to the School have supported financial aid for learners. These donors are companies, service organizations and individuals, like you and me.

We are doing well for a small Northern medical school. We intend to do better by building a culture of philanthropy from both within and outside of NOSM. We have so much to offer in terms of opportunity in the academic medical community, and we welcome ideas of giving to our School. This year alone, support for the Rural Generalist Pathway and larger physician workforce strategy, and the critically important initiatives in Indigenous Health, learner wellness and the establishment of our one-of-a-kind Center for Social Accountability are amazing contributions envisioned by incredible citizens.

In partnership with donors, municipalities, Northern-based organizations, and government, NOSM has created a community-wide coalition with a vested interest in enhancing the provision of health-care professionals. This vision brings with it a huge impact for the regional economy and it has transformed the education environment in Northern Ontario. In 2019, NOSM had an economic impact between $129 million and $142 million. Overall spending in 2019 was estimated to support 817-898 full-time equivalent jobs in the region.

The presence of a medical school in Northern Ontario, and recognition of what NOSM has accomplished to date, are both sources of considerable pride for many members of the community.

I and the NOSM Board of Directors are monitoring the insolvency of Laurentian University which has impacted NOSM’s Endowment/Bursary funds. These Endowment Funds were donated to NOSM in order to provide bursaries to NOSM students as well as for making improvements to the medical facilities at NOSM. We have had several meetings with our NOSM Board of Directors, to brief them on the impact on NOSM and the financial and academic risks. I want to assure you that we are doing our best to manage the situation.

In the meantime, we continue our important work in creating access to quality health care for all Northern Ontarians and encourage you to follow our progress at www.nosm.ca.

To learn how you can lend your support to this cause, contact advancement@nosm.ca or visit nosm.ca/donate.

If you have any feedback or comments, please reach out at dean@nosm.ca and follow me on twitter @ddsv3.

Good luck to our clerks now in the interview period for the Canadian Residency Matching process!

Most of our graduating class are now well into the interview period for CaRMS. This year has been extraordinary for this class with no access to electives in other centres and reduced exposure to highly competitive opportunities due to the pandemic. They have been incredibly resilient and are the best graduating MDs in the country. I know they will do well, and wish them all the best over the next 3 weeks.

Congratulations to Dr. Janet McElhaney

Dr. Janet McElhaney has received the prestigious Jonas Salk Award from March of Dimes Canada. Dr. McElhaney is a NOSM Professor, geriatrician, immunologist, and researcher who is recognized for her seminal research into aging, the immune system and the potential of vaccines to prevent disability. Learn more by watching her presentation on Vaccine Preventable Disability and my VITALiTY (Vaccine Initiative to Add Life to Years) research program.

NOSM Supports Ornge with Operation Remote Immunity

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