Alumni Stories

Indigenous graduate says inclusiveness and advocacy a strength

Dr. Meghan Beals says NOSM sparked her desire to explore her own Indigeneity. “I definitely overcame a lot of personal learning about my own culture during my four years at NOSM. I grew up off reserve and I didn’t have as much cultural exposure so there was a lot of personal growth and learning about my own Miꞌkmaq culture and the different inequities that Indigenous persons face in health care,” she says. Meghan says her fondest memories stem from the in-person clinical community placements she experienced during her third year, prior to the pandemic. During those placements she built strong relationships with faculty and fel...

Cultural diversity and Operation Remote Immunity were highlights of Francophone graduates’ NOSM experience

Dr. Dominique Lachapelle, a Francophone graduate of NOSM’s MD Class of 2021, says lessons in resilience and collaboration will serve her well in future. “Medical school was challenging. It gave me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, learn from community placements, mentors and explore the rich cultural diversity of Northern Ontario,” she says. This winter Dominique volunteered with Operation Remote Immunity, which she describes as a highlight of her medical school experience. She assisted with the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in North Spirit Lake, Kashechewan, and Attawapiskat and was able to get credit for an elect...

Accomplishment in the height of the pandemic

Dr. Jai Mashru is quietly celebrating a huge milestone. A graduate of NOSM’s MD Class of 2021, Jai feels a great sense of accomplishment to graduate during one of the most challenging years of his medical education, a year which he also says was the most rewarding. “I plan to give back to the community and give back to future learners in Northern Ontario. This is something that I want to do,” says Jai, who is the valedictorian of his class in Sudbury and the former president of the NOSM student council. Raised in Dryden, and having lived in Sudbury and Parry Sound, Jai says being matched to an internal medicine residency in Toro...