Media Releases
NOSM University Unveils Rooted in the North Strategic Plan to Expand Access to Care Across Northern Ontario
NOSM University launches Rooted in the North, its 2026 to 2030 Strategic Plan designed to strengthen the Northern health workforce, expand community-based education, and advance health equity across Northern Ontario. The five-year plan sets a clear course to grow training capacity, deepen regional partnerships, and enhance research that directly supports rural, remote, Indigenous, and Francophone communities. Northern Ontario faces persistent health workforce shortages, long travel distances to care, and disparities that disproportionately affect underserved communities. Rooted in the North responds with tailored actions to train, ret...
Read more about Rooted in the North: Strategic Plan 2026-2030
$5 Million Gift Establishes Circle for Indigenous Health Research and Innovation at NOSM University
NOSM University announces a $5 million transformational gift to advance Indigenous health equity through the creation of the Circle for Indigenous Health Research and Innovation, housed within the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity. This investment reflects a commitment to advancing Indigenous health equity across Northern Ontario by supporting Indigenous leadership, knowledge systems, and community-driven approaches to research, education, and innovation. Grounded in the priorities and strengths of Indigenous Peoples, the Circle will foster Indigenous-led work that responds to Northern realities and supports the conditions th...
Read more about this transformational gift.
NOSM University appoints interim Associate Dean, Clinical Faculty Affairs to enhance academic leadership and clinical faculty support
Dr. Barbara Zelek is NOSM University’s Interim Associate Dean, Clinical Faculty Affair, Professor, and a rural generalist family physician in Marathon, Ontario. NOSM University has named Dr. Barbara Zelek as the new Interim Associate Dean, Clinical Faculty Affairs leading the Clinical Sciences Division. Dr. Zelek graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1998 and completed her Family Medicine residency at Queen’s University. Since 2002, she has practised as a rural generalist family physician in Marathon and other Northern Ontario communities, providing care in emergency medicine, office-based practice, obstetrics, and hospital me...
Read more about Dr. Zelek's appointment.