This has been a sad month with the discovery of remains of 215 Indigenous children on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia and the senseless tragedy that took place in London, Ontario with the deaths of four members of a Muslim family and one nine-year-old badly injured and orphaned. These events occurring at the same time as pandemic-related conflicts, including anti-Asian racism, the conflict in Gaza, Black Lives Matter, mental health surges, and long-term care challenges have exposed the tragic impacts on both our young, aged and vulnerable populations. It is also a challenging Pride month as homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and many other gender identity phobias continue to persist in our society.

How do we all cope? As health-care learners and providers, how do we sustain our hope?

Although these political divides, differences in beliefs, socio-economic disparities, and unrelenting media stories of grief and strife may leave us feeling defeated, angry and helpless, the truth is that we are empowered and in positions to make an impact and influence change. By standing strong together, we can make a difference in this world. I am actually feeling pretty inspired right now, so I encourage you to have heart. Let’s look toward to a brighter future.

We’ve just made history here! NOSM has begun a fantastic, unprecedented journey to become Canada’s first free-standing medical university. NOSM University will continue to focus on equity, increasing diversity, and strengthening the culture of inclusion. We will lead in this space.

We are committed and will come together to stop racism in its tracks. We endeavour to look beyond the geographic, linguistic, economic and social conditions and seek to further understand the root causes. NOSM University commits to taking responsibility and looking for actionable ways to make a difference.

A few of you (individually and privately) have reached out to me, especially after I spoke about optimism in my interview with Matt Galloway on CBC’s The Current. You have asked me: ‘How do you keep your chin up?’ Truthfully, it’s been a challenge, however I have a renewed sense of purpose in justice, in standing for what is inherently right, and in support for the truth. What motivates me is doing what is right. This is the value of advocacy and activism that underpins NOSM University’s work. These are the transformative times we will tell our children and grandchildren about. We will collectively be able to say: “I was part of the historic change.”

June is National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diverse Indigenous histories, heritages, and the cultures of the many LGBTQ2SI+ communities. It is an ideal time to reflect on the richness that NOSM University learners, staff, faculty, communities and partners bring to all our lives. I see and hear social accountability in action everywhere in our distributed campus.

A key measure of NOSM’s leadership in Northern Ontario is the economic impact on participating communities. NOSM’s economic impact is estimated to be at least 60 per cent greater than the original government investment in our School. This increase provided an economic stimulus and, along with NOSM graduates who set up practice in the region, has indubitably improved the health and wealth of communities. With this in mind, NOSM University will continue to grow and expand on its socio-economic and political impact (please refer to the recent study below). Our social justice impact will be measured by the work we do in speaking up, advocating for real change, and standing together against all challenges.

This summer, as we embrace the transformative change of NOSM to NOSM University, I encourage you to reflect on the ways in which you are empowered to influence positive changes in society. With each interaction, ask yourself if you are courageous enough, compassionate enough and kind enough to make a difference.

My key message is this: “Be a citizen of the world, be courageous in the world, be a leader in the world. Let change, courage and citizenship be the three Cs that will guide you through the rest of your life.”

Miigwetch, thank you, marsi, merci,

Dr. Sarita Verma
Dean, President and CEO
Northern Ontario School of Medicine

If you have any feedback or comments, please reach out at dean@nosm.ca and follow me on twitter @ddsv3.

Celebrate National Indigenous History Month

There are many ways you can honour and celebrate National Indigenous History Month. Please help share in the celebration by engaging in learning and sharing your favourite resources. For a full list of suggested resources, please visit the Office of Indigenous Affairs and refer to the links below. Mark your calendar for National Indigenous People Day on June 21 and participate in a local event.

Have Pride at NOSM University

Participate, take action or be an active ally by contacting your local pride organisation to find out what your community has planned to celebrate Pride Month. Also, visit the Northern Ontario Pride Network to learn about how communities across Northern Ontario are connecting and advocating against homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and all gender identity phobias. Membership is free and open to all individuals and organizations. Like, share and follow the Network on Facebook to access the latest events, ideas, resources and promotional activities, and to support diverse sexualities, gender identities, and expression. Let’s embrace our differences at NOSM, learn more at Respect The Difference.

NOSM University Consultations

Throughout the summer we will be consulting broadly with all of our stakeholders as we move forward to shape the vision of the new NOSM University. Your voice is important and highly valued. We want to know what NOSM University means to you and how it should meet your needs. Please email your questions and ideas to nosmu@nosm.ca.

Study of NOSM’s Economic Impact

Did you know that “NOSM-trained physicians practising in the region added an economic impact of $88 M.” to the economy of Northern Ontario? In 2019, NOSM’s total economic impact is estimated to be $107 million and since that time it continues to increase. NOSM University is proud of this positive contribution and continued plans to stimulate the economy of Northern Ontario. Read the full study on the BMC website.

The Timmins tag team

“Louisa Marion-Bellemare and Julie Samson were seeing more and more young, healthy people in the ER with drug overdoses, but they didn’t see the city or local agencies doing enough to stop it. So they took matters into their own hands – and the community followed their lead.” Learn more about this inspiring work by NOSM faculty in this article from The Globe and Mail.

Alumni Stories, Francophone Features, In the Spotlight

Francophone NOSM graduate returns to her hometown of Hearst

Monday June 14th, 2021 Alexandra Poling

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.”

Alumni Stories, In the Spotlight

A graduate who overcame incredible challenges

Monday June 14th, 2021 Alexandra Poling

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.