On Thursday, November 28, 2013, faculty of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) presented their innovative research projects at a provincial showcase in Toronto. Titled “Innovation Fund Showcase 2013: From Innovation to Practice,” the showcase featured a selection of research projects being led by academic physicians committed to transforming healthcare delivery in Ontario. The conference was a joint initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and the Ontario Medical Association.

The showcase highlighted projects that have been funded by the Innovation Fund – a pool of funding that was established to encourage physicians to develop new approaches to deliver better medical care in Ontario. Each year, $10 million is released to the 17 academic health science centres across the province. NOSM receives an allocation from this fund which is administered by the Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association (NOAMA). Through NOAMA, NOSM’s physician clinical faculty from across Northern Ontario can apply for funding to pursue research that will improve patient care. 

Through a very competitive process, physicians submit projects to be evaluated, and they are reviewed at the provincial level for this funding. Since 2005, NOSM’s physician clinical faculty have received nearly $2 million in funding to pursue research to improve medical care for patients in Northern Ontario. 

Of all the projects funded across Ontario through the Innovation Fund in 2013, only a small group of projects are selected to showcase their work at the annual showcase. This year, three projects from NOSM faculty were selected to showcase their work at the provincial conference: 

• Presenting their research project titled “Sachigo Lake Wilderness Emergency Response Education Initiative,” Assistant Professors in Family Medicine Drs. Aaron Orkin and David VanderBurgh presented in the category of Creative Patient-Centred Care.

“The portion of the Innovation Fund allocated to Northern Ontario School of Medicine faculty is specifically allocated to physician clinical faculty – doctors who not only have a very full patient case load, but who also accept NOSM learners,” explains Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “Their decision to undertake research to improve patient care in addition to their regular duties demonstrates how committed our faculty are to improving the health of Northern Ontarians. I express my sincere gratitude for the commitment, dedication, and innovation of these physicians.”
 

The Board of Directors of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held a face-to-face meeting in Thunder Bay on November 28 and 29, 2013.

On the first day of the two-day meeting, Board members were provided a tour of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), led by TBRHSC’s Andrée Robichaud, President and CEO; Tracie Smith, Senior Director, Communications and Engagement; and, Karen Anderson, Academic Liaison Coordinator. The TBRHSC is a state-of-the-art acute care facility and teaching hospital where NOSM medical students and residents undertake rotations in various specialties (e.g., Surgery, Internal Medicine, Children’s Health, Women’s Health, Mental Health, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, etc.) as part of their medical education.

In the afternoon, Board members heard presentations from Omair Quraishi, NOSM’s Chief Information Officer, on exciting technological innovations underway at the medical school. Hugh Goldie, a facilitator specializing in Board governance, strategic planning, and organization design and an Associate of The Exchange Group, led a lively interactive session titled “Confidence at the Board Table.” The Board identified several concepts presented by Goldie as valuable to guiding future discussions.

Later that evening at the Board dinner, Awards of Excellence were presented to learners, faculty, and preceptors by Dr. Bill McCready, Senior Associate Dean, West Campus, and Dr. Janice Willett, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs. Learners receiving awards included second-year medical students Ms. Mallory Granholm and Mr. Samuel Peters. Dr. Maurianne Reade, a rural family doctor and Assistant Professor based in Mindemoya on Manitoulin Island, and Ms. Crystal Morra, a Registered Dietician and Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program (NODIP) preceptor at Noojmowin Teg Health Centre in Little Current on Manitoulin Island were the recipients of faculty and preceptor awards.

On the second day of the meeting, the Board toured the Faculty of Law at Lakehead University, located in the historic Port Arthur Collegial Institute, with Dean Dr. Lee Stuesser. The first new law school in Ontario in over 40 years, the school focuses on preparing students for the practice of law in rural and smaller centres where there is a pressing need for new lawyers.

Following the tour, Board members were introduced to a proposed process to create a 2015-2020 Strategic Plan for NOSM. At this session led by Ken Adams, NOSM’s Chief Administrative Officer, and Grace Vita, NOSM’s Director of Planning and Risk, Board members were invited to contribute their ideas with respect to the proposed process, which includes plans for extensive consultation with NOSM stakeholders to arrive at the Strategic Plan’s key objectives. The Board approved the scope and guiding principles of the process presented.

At the formal Board meeting, members received a copy of the Rendez-Vous 2012 Conference Report, which provides an overview of the activities that took place at this successful health professional education conference, hosted by NOSM, in October 2012. Rendez-Vous 2012 attracted more than 850 international participants from around the world to consider community participation in education, research, and service. The report is now available at www.rendez-vous2012.ca.

The Board of Directors approved Financial Statements from the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee for the six-month period ending October 31, 2013. The Board also approved a Conflict of Interest (COI) with Commercial Entities policy for the School, along with a proposed strategy to implement the policy.

Mr. Dominic Giroux, Chair of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Board of Directors and President of Laurentian University, noted that the two-day meeting in Thunder Bay accomplished several important objectives. “With NOSM Board members distributed across Northern Ontario, our semiannual face-to-face meetings provide an opportunity to foster cohesion and collaborate in an extremely valuable way. The two-day meetings have allowed us to participate in thought-provoking presentations, engage in important discussion, and celebrate the exceptional commitment of our learners, faculty, and preceptors. Our meetings were a resounding success,” he said.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled to occur on March 19, 2014.

For a complete list of Board members, please visit our website at nosm.ca .

On Saturday, November 9, 2013, faculty and learners of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) were presented with a variety of awards of distinction for their dedication and contribution to family medicine. These awards were presented at the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s (CFPC) national conference, the Family Medicine Forum, held in Vancouver, BC.

It is with great excitement that NOSM announces the following accolades:

• NOSM’s Medical Director of Faculty Development, Dr. James Goertzen of Thunder Bay, Ontario was awarded the highly prestigious Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award.
• NOSM Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Dr. Sarah Newbery of Marathon, Ontario was one of ten physicians to receive the Reg L. Perkin Award, which is accompanied by the title of “Family Physician of the Year.”
• Previous NOSM resident Dr. Nichole Currie was awarded the Family Medicine Resident Leadership Award after completing her residency at NOSM this year.
• Previous NOSM resident Dr. Ryan Patchett-Marble received the Family Medicine Resident Award for Scholarly Achievement.
• Dr. Michael Mason, who completed his MD at NOSM, was presented with the Medical Student Leadership Award.
• Fourth year NOSM medical student Emily Yeung received the Medical Student Scholarship.

“It gives me great pleasure to see Northern Ontario School of Medicine faculty and learners honoured at a national level,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “I am continually impressed by the extremely high calibre of the faculty and learners in the North, and express my sincere congratulations to these talented and passionate individuals.”

One of the highest honours given by the CFPC, The Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award has been referred to as the “Nobel prize” of family medicine education. The award honors physicians who have made a significant national impact on the development of family medicine in Canada. Award recipient Dr. James Goertzen was selected for this award based on his innovative work as Director of Faculty Development at NOSM in regards to the School’s continuing medical education programming.

Starting in 1972, the CFPC Family Physician of the Year Award is part of a long-standing tradition to honour family physicians who exemplify the best of the true spirit of what it means to be a family physician. Award recipient for the CFPC’s Ontario Family Physician of the Year, Dr. Sarah Newbery, NOSM Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, is known throughout the Northern Ontario medical community for her dedication and contributions to rural family medicine in Northern Ontario, as well as for her leadership in the structuring of NOSM’s curriculum and assessment models.

“The 2013 Family Medicine Forum was very exciting this year for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine; this year marks the first time that Northern Ontario physicians have received either the Ian McWhinney Award or the distinction of Ontario’s Family Physician of the Year,” explains Dr. Janice Willett, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs. “I extend my sincerest congratulations to Drs. Goertzen and Newbery for their exceptional commitment to their patients, their learners, and their profession. I am personally very proud to be part of NOSM’s exceptionally talented and innovative faculty.”