News
NOSM University Reappoints Dr. Cindy Blackstock as Chancellor
NOSM University’s Board of Governors has announced the reappointment of Dr. Cindy Blackstock as Chancellor, continuing the leadership she has provided since her appointment as the university’s inaugural Chancellor in 2022. As ceremonial head of the university, Dr. Blackstock has been a respected advocate, mentor, and ambassador, and has helped advance the university's commitment to social accountability, Indigenous inclusion, and health equity across Northern Ontario. A member of the Gitxsan Nation, Dr. Blackstock is an internationally recognized advocate for Indigenous children's rights and was the 2023 recipient of the Wo...
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Dr. Melanie Squarzolo Appointed Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs, Clinical Sciences
NOSM University has named Dr. Melanie Squarzolo as the new Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs, Clinical Sciences, effective October 1, 2026. A member of the inaugural class of NOSM University’s Emergency Medicine residency program, Dr. Squarzolo graduated from the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine in 2005 and completed the University of Ottawa’s Northern Ontario Family Medicine residency program. She is proud to serve her home community of Sudbury as an emergency medicine physician at Health Sciences North. An Associate Professor at NOSM University, Dr. Squarzolo has nearly two decades of experience in em...
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Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Honours NOSM University Student
Mohamed Alzahran, NOSM University medical student, has been awarded the prestigious Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) Award for 2026. The award recognizes a second-year student from each medical school across Canada who exemplifies perseverance, collaboration, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Recipients have an established track record of community leadership, superior communication skills, and demonstrated interest in advancing knowledge. “I came to Canada in 2016 as a Syrian refugee,” says Alzahran. “My parents left behind everything they had built, their home, their careers, their entire world, and fled with my siblings an...
Read more about the CMHF Award.
Laurentian University and NOSM University Partner with Noojmowin Teg Health Centre to Advance Anishinaabe Brain-Heart Health Research with $1.35M CIHR Grant
Laurentian University and NOSM University are proud to announce a significant research award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Marion Maar, cross-appointed to Laurentian University and Professor in the Human Sciences Division and Medical Anthropologist at NOSM University, has been awarded $1.354 million to collaborate with Noojmowin Teg Health Centre over four years as the Nominated Principal Applicant for a groundbreaking Indigenous health initiative. The project, titled “Naanaagidewendimowin - DREAM Wellness: Co-Creating an Anishinaabe Brain-Heart Health and Wellness Model of Care for Elders, Designed to ...
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NOSM University Celebrates New Dietetics Graduates
In a ceremony on Friday, July 24, NOSM University celebrated the achievements of six new dietetics graduates. Registered Dietitians (RDs) are essential members of the health-care team who work alongside physicians, nurses, and other professionals to prevent and manage illness through evidence-based nutrition care. Their expertise improves patient outcomes, supports chronic disease management, and helps people live healthier lives. Following the pandemic, RD vacancies have risen five-fold, with approximately 45 positions currently unfilled across Northern Ontario. NOSM University's Dietetic Practicum Program (DPP) is highly effective a...
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NOSM University and OPSEU Local 677 (Unit 1) Ratify Three-Year Collective Agreement
NOSM University and the NOSM University Faculty and Staff Association (NUFSA), represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 677 (Unit 1), are pleased to announce a new three-year collective agreement covering full-time faculty, librarians and professional staff at the University. Formal negotiations began in May 2026, with the parties reaching a tentative agreement on July 16, 2026. The agreement was subsequently presented to the NOSM University Board of Governors and members of OPSEU Local 677 (Unit 1) for ratification. Both OPSEU members and the Board of Governors voted in favour of the new collective a...
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NOSM University partners with Agnico Eagle to strengthen Northern Ontario Physician Recruitment
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited is investing in the future of health care across Northern Ontario through a $225,000 gift to NOSM University over the next three years. The funding will help strengthen physician recruitment by increasing awareness of the opportunities to live, learn, and practise medicine across the region. Northern Ontario communities are working hard to recruit the physicians they need. While every community has unique strengths and opportunities to offer, many have limited capacity to promote themselves to prospective physicians. This gift will help address that challenge by supporting a coordinated recruitment strategy ...
Read more about Agnico Eagle's contribution.
NOSM University and McMaster to strengthen rehabilitation care in the North
A new pathway will support occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology students with placements, housing, and relocation support in Northern Ontario. McMaster University’s School of Rehabilitation Science and NOSM University are launching a new pathway that will help rehabilitation sciences students from Northern Ontario train closer to home and build careers in the region. The Northern Practice Pathway builds on a long-standing partnership between the two universities and responds to ongoing shortages in rehabilitation services across Northern Ontario. The pathway will support students in occupation...
Read more about the new rehabilitation sciences pathway.