Indigenous Stories
NOSM supporters honoured with Anishinabek Nation Lifetime Achievement Awards
Two friends of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) were recently honoured with Anishinabek Lifetime Achievement Awards at an awards ceremony hosted by the Anishinabek Nation. The awards honour those “who made their communities stronger and who have enriched the lives of many.” Mary Jo Wabano of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory received the Anishinabek Lifetime Achievement Award for Health. She is the former Health Services Director in Wiikwemkoong. Mary Jo is well known for her academic, research and community work. She has dedicated her career to innovative health projects and remains deeply committed to working with you...
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NOSM medical students’ second menstrual product drive supports Kingfisher Lake First Nation
Indigenous communities, particularly remotely located ones, are faced with numerous health inequities compared with urban settings. Last year, a partnership was announced between Shoppers Drug Mart and the Ontario Government to provide free menstrual products to provincially run school boards for the next three years. Regrettably, this private donation from Shoppers Drug Mart does not extend to federally-run Indigenous school boards. Ironically, menstrual products in Indigenous communities are significantly more expensive and difficult to find. This partnership further exacerbates the health inequities these communities face. Ashley P...
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The Slaight Family Foundation donates $1 million to NOSM to support BIPOC women in medicine
The Slaight Family Foundation is donating $1 million to support 40 Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) women medical students attending the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and who live in Northern Ontario. The donation will establish a first-of-its-kind entrance scholarship to both increase the number of BIPOC women physicians—including transgender and non-binary people—in Northern Ontario and contribute to the overall number of doctors in the region. “I am deeply grateful to The Slaight Family Foundation for this gift to NOSM,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of the Northern Ontario Schoo...
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