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Francophone NOSM graduate returns to her hometown of Hearst

Dr. Shyanne Fournier, a Francophone graduate of NOSM’s MD Class of 2021, couldn’t be happier about returning to her community of Hearst to start her residency in family medicine. “It’s very exciting, I will practise entirely in French. A lot of our class always wanted to go home to practise in our communities,” says Shyanne. “I’ve already had the opportunity to work with preceptors here in Hearst who are also NOSM alumni. I recognize how fortunate I am.”

She recalls her early pre-med university courses and the challenge of initially getting into medical school. “I always wanted to be a doctor. In my first year of my undergraduate degree, the chemistry professor asked ‘How many of you plan to be doctors?’ When nearly all 400 students put their hands up, he said ‘Only four of you will get in.’ I realised it would be incredibly challenging,” says Shyanne.

“I want students from Northern Ontario to know that if you are someone from a rural community, if you are Francophone or if you are worried about the journey, NOSM is a great place to start.”

Shyanne appreciated having the opportunity to participate in clinical rotations in French and contribute to improvements in French language medical education at the School. She served on the Francophone Reference Group, an active advisory group at NOSM. She was able to help improve French medical terminology training by integrating some common phrases and slang terminology. For example, descriptions of symptoms in phrases like “Avoir mal au cœur” which means ‘nauseous,’ but is often misinterpreted by medical professionals as heart-related symptoms. “At NOSM, I was able to assist as the School revamped the French medical terminology curriculum to reflect the more common French terms used in Northern Ontario.”

Shyanne says improving French-language terminology and clinical sessions are critical for future medical professionals who will work in Francophone communities, particularly in emergency clinical settings. “Many people are bilingual, speaking both English and French. When they are sick, afraid or anxious, they instinctively revert back to the French language, simply because it feels more comfortable. This then becomes a barrier when they attempt to adequately explain their symptoms. When I was able to communicate with Francophone patients at critical times, their faces would immediately light up. They really appreciate it when I speak French and it helps them feel safe,” says Shyanne.

She credits NOSM mentors, including several Francophone preceptors, faculty members, her fellow Francophone classmates and the Francophone Affairs Unit at NOSM—in particular the support of Danielle Barbeau-Rodrigue, Director Francophone Affairs and Interim Director of Learner Affairs—for the continuous support, encouragement, and for seeking out Francophone opportunities on her behalf.

Practising in French also means Shyanne is able to become part of a wider solution to improve health equity and access to French health-care services in the North. “Not only do I want to practice in French, I feel the need to be part of the solution to help close the gap for people who require care in French in Northern Ontario.”

A graduate who overcame incredible challenges

Dr. Jenny Thomas’ journey to medical school was one of sheer grit and determination in the face of surmounting obstacles. Her ability to overcome speaks volumes about her personal fortitude. What she hopes readers will take away is the inspiration to pursue a personal dream.

As a child, Jenny felt a burning desire to learn and describes herself as mesmerized by the sciences, however her family couldn’t afford the cost of university tuition. “Medical school was a goal as far back as I can remember. I love science and I love learning, but my family didn’t have the money,” she says.

It wasn’t until later in life—after Jenny took on several other jobs including teaching art, and later opening several small children’s retail businesses—that she would manage to afford and carve out enough time to earn her undergraduate degree in arts and science from Lakehead University’s Orillia campus.

“I was hesitant to go back to university, because I was running three stores, raising four kids and I’d been out of school for a while. I wondered if I could go back and do this. It’s easy to doubt yourself sometimes, and yet I knew my calling was to be a doctor, so I took that first step and applied to Lakehead.” With determination and courage and she started her first degree. However, at midterms another obstacle arose when Jenny received some difficult news. “I was diagnosed with cancer that fall. After waiting over a decade to go to university, I wondered ‘why now?’ Naturally this was devastating news to hear, and to share with my family.”

Without a local family doctor, Jenny routinely drove over three hours back and forth from Toronto for treatments and surgeries. She says it opened her eyes to rural health disparities and inequities. At that point she needed to decide whether or not to continue with her degree.

“After recovering from cancer, it actually gave me a renewed sense of purpose, facing my own mortality in that way. It made me realize that it was always my dream to go to medical school. I’d been given a second chance at life to pursue my dream, so I put all my efforts into going back to university full-time,” says Jenny. “I went from a cancer diagnosis to the top of my class at graduation four years later.”

Obtaining that degree was another step toward medical school. “I applied to NOSM, but didn’t get in the first time. It is really common for medical students not to get in on the first try,” Jenny says. “I was determined! I knew in my heart that NOSM was for me. I wanted to be a family physician in Northern Ontario. I lived through an experience of not having a local family doctor and I wanted to be able to be there for families.”

She applied again to NOSM and was awaiting news of an interview, when suddenly tragedy struck again.

Jenny’s husband was in a snowmobiling accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. “I got the call 20 minutes after he’d left on his snowmobile, and it was a life changing moment. In a second your whole world can be flipped upside down. He was flown to Sunnybrook as a trauma patient. At the time, I remember just being so grateful that he was alive, that he could still use his arms, as I knew that he would still be able to hug our children.”

There was a long road of recovery and house renovations ahead of them. As Jenny was learning to cope with a demanding new role as primary caregiver, her offer of acceptance to NOSM’s entering class of 2017 came in.

Her family made the difficult and brave decision to move to Sudbury, where Jenny’s husband could receive better access to rehabilitation services and she would start medical school.

“It ended up being a really great decision. My kids and my husband really took to the community and the people here. The hardest thing was getting used to our new life with my husband’s paralysis,” says Jenny. “We had to acclimatize to our new life and I will forever be grateful to my home community for their support, and my new community and classmates for how wonderful they were to me. It makes me cry just thinking about it. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Jenny says the enormous hurdles she experienced were manageable thanks to the support of friends, family, her class, and NOSM. Over the years, her fellow classmates also endured personal losses and health challenges and she was able to repay their kindness they’d shown her and provide support.

“Everything we’ve been through, including the challenges of the pandemic, has created a very tight-knit class,” she says. “We came together and we’ve all been able to reach out and help one another, even when we are spread out in different communities—that is something I will apply to my future practice. Talking to patients who are going through personal challenges, empathizing with caregivers, and recognizing symptoms of burnout are all really important.”

When reflecting back, Jenny says it is all of life’s ups and downs that inspire her forward. “Family medicine has been my dream my entire life. As a physician, whether you’re meeting someone as a child or later in life and seeing them through all of the highs and lows, I genuinely love being able to work with people and help them. I value what I’ve gained through my own experiences.”

What Jenny has valued most about NOSM, is the School’s focus on equity, inclusion and diversity. “I noticed all of the diverse backgrounds in my class. People were able to apply their own knowledge to small group learning sessions and it was really dynamic,” she says. “When you’re working through specific cases, social issues or injustices, and you have people from various backgrounds—who are not all coming from the same direct route into medical school—the group can really learn from everyone’s lived experiences.”

“I think it’s exceptional, the way that NOSM’s admission process selects people who have a passion for medicine in Northern Ontario. It’s not just about your degrees and grades, it’s about the potential everyone has to give back to their communities,” says Jenny.

Dr. Jenny Thomas has been matched to family medicine in Sudbury and starts residency next month. She hopes her story will inspire others to follow their dreams and value the importance of support systems in their lives. Two of her four children have expressed their hope to someday become physicians.

Launchfire and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Win 2021 Vega Digital Award

Launchfire, a leading game-based digital promo shop, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) have won a 2021 Vega Digital Award in the Marketing Effectiveness category for The NOSM Trivia Challenge.

The NOSM Trivia Challenge, challenged participants to answer educational trivia questions about health equity in Northern Ontario, and Indigenous and Francophone health, in support of creating access to equitable health care in the region. Entrants played for an individual cash prize of $1,000, and for a Northern Ontario community of their choice. The winning community would receive $10,000 towards their local health-care centre. More than 1,300 registrants participated in the challenge and the town of Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario was declared the winner. According to the Smooth Rock Falls Hospital Association president, three hydraulic lifts for their long-term care facility would be purchased with the winnings.

This is Launchfire’s second annual win at Vega Digital. Also, in May 2021, The NOSM Trivia Challenge was awarded a Communicator Award.

“The NOSM Trivia Challenge was a fun way to engage communities across Northern Ontario and share knowledge about the priority health concerns of our region,” says Joanne Musico, NOSM’s Director of Communications and External Relations. “Being limited in what we could do during the pandemic, Launchfire worked with us to design a platform that met all of our communication objectives and built in metrics to gauge its effectiveness. It was a very successful marketing initiative and we are honoured to be recognized with a Vega Digital Award.”

“We’re so proud of the work we’ve done with the NOSM,” said Launchfire’s Co-Founder and V.P. Business Solutions, AJ Pratt. “While the continued award recognition is pretty sweet, knowing that our work has made a meaningful difference for the community of Smooth Rock Falls is even sweeter. It’s always been our mission to build the best promotions that generate real impact. I think this proves that we’re achieving and surpassing that goal.”

With 1,392 international entries, the Vega Digital Awards leverages on its host, the International Awards Associate (IAA) to capture the attention of the creative digital media industry worldwide. “Given the context of recent events, seeing these brilliant minds at work convinces me that the digital medium is undoubtedly the future,” Kenjo Ong, the CEO of IAA remarked. “If this is the level of excellence while we are still in the ‘new normal’, it excites me to think about what the future holds.”

IAA invited exemplary professionals from the industry as jurors, as a measure to guarantee impartiality and high standards of assessment. The jury is responsible for selecting the best works out of the lot, in hopes of propelling the industry ahead as these works become a benchmark of excellence.

The complete list of 2021 Vega Digital winners is available on their website.

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About Launchfire

Launchfire (est. 1999) is a game-based digital promotions company that helps marketers drive engagement, educate consumers, and sell more stuff.  For more information, visit launchfire.com.

About NOSM

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities.

For more information, please contact: news@nosm.ca

NOSM University