Researchers from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand team up to tackle health questions

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce Faculty member Dr. Kristen Jacklin’s participation in a new major international collaboration launched to improve chronic disease care for Indigenous patients.

Scientists will investigate similarities between Indigenous peoples and health issues. Diabetes and its prevalence in Indigenous communities is one area researchers will study with the aim to improving health in Aboriginal populations.

Co-principal investigator NOSM’s Dr. Kristen Jacklin believes that “this project has the potential to improve outcomes for Indigenous people living with diabetes in Northern Ontario.” She notes that, “while there have been some research projects in Northern Ontario aimed at assessing the level of care delivered to Indigenous peoples, there have not been any comprehensive efforts like this project that aim to improve diabetes outcomes through the delivery of culturally safe and appropriate clinical care.”

NOSM joins three Canadian universities (University of Calgary, Queen’s University, and University of British Columbia) to make up the Canadian contingent participating in the project. The five-year project is called “Educating for equity: Exploring how health professional education can reduce disparities in chronic disease care and improve outcomes for Indigenous populations.”

Co-principal investigator Dr. Lindsay Crowshoe from the University of Calgary says, “we know that Indigenous people in all three countries experience a greater burden of chronic diseases than their non-Indigenous counterparts. We think that this may be due in part to issues of limited access to high quality care. This project will attempt to address gaps in our understanding of how differences in health professionals’ clinical decision making, communication and engagement with patients and families might impact health outcomes for Indigenous patients,” he says.

The project is supported by the International Collaborative Indigenous Health Research Program. The program was developed and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Health Research Council of New Zealand, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

CIHR will contribute $1.25 million to support the Canadian contribution to this project. “I am very pleased that researchers at four Canadian universities have partnered with their Australian and New Zealand colleagues to tackle the question of clinician education in such a broad way, and with such a strong emphasis on culturally sensitive engagement,” said Dr. Malcolm King, Scientific Director of CIHR’s Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health (IAPH). “Led by IAPH, CIHR is committed to working with Aboriginal Peoples to develop the tools needed to respond to the unique health challenges they face.”

The other Canadian principal investigators include Dr. Michael Green, Queen’s University, and Drs. Betty Calam, Kendall Ho and Leah Walker from the University of British Columbia.

The international aspects of the project will be led by Dr. Rhys Jones at the University of Auckland and Professor Helen Milroy from the University of Western Australia. Each country will explore a different aspect of medical education. The teams will meet regularly over the next five years to share their expertise and compare funding across the countries.

For the past 10 years, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has supported better health and healthcare for Canadians. As the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency, CIHR enables the creation of evidence-based knowledge and its transformation into improved treatments, prevention and diagnoses, new products and services, and a stronger, patient-oriented healthcare system. Composed of 13 internationally-recognized institutes, CIHR supports more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

Dr. Roger Strasser, Dean, Northern Ontario School of Medicine and Bernie Blais, CEO, North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) are pleased to announce today the signing of a collaborative partnership agreement between the two organizations.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is pleased to be partnering with the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN,” noted Dr. Strasser. “This collaborative partnership will enhance our community outreach and supports the priorities of NOSM’s 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, which includes the vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

Stronger post-secondary education, greater access to medical services at the community level, and a sustainable health system for the residents of North Simcoe Muskoka are key strategic goals of this collaboration.

“Health human resources is and will continue to be, a major challenge for our LHIN. Working with NOSM, we anticipate opportunities to encourage our local populations to consider health services careers and the opportunities that NOSM can provide. We foresee a successful partnership and one that will benefit the residents of North Simcoe Muskoka,” commented Bernie Blais.

Collaboration may include research on the use of best practices for health services delivery, health human resources planning, ensuring the health needs of Aboriginal, Francophone and rural populations are met, education and professional development for health service providers and communities, and the opportunity to share skills and expertise to ensure both organizations meet their respective mandates.

A Joint NSM LHIN-NOSM Relations Committee will be established to regularly monitor and coordinate the initiative.

QUICK FACTS

• North Simcoe Muskoka is one of 14 provincial LHINs that plan, integrate and fund local health services.
• Half of the $46 billion health-care budget is overseen by the LHINs.
• The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a joint initiative of Lakehead University and Laurentian University.
• When founded in 2005, NOSM became the first new medical school in Canada in over 30 years and the first to be hosted by two universities.

LEARN MORE
To learn more about the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN or the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, please visit the websites at www.nsmlhin.on.ca and www.nosm.ca.

On Tuesday, June 22, 2010, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) launched a new strategic plan intended to guide the School’s progress through the years 2010 to 2015. Much has been achieved in NOSM’s first five years of operations, and this second plan builds on these successes with well-established priorities and a clearly articulated vision and mission.

NOSM’s new vision – Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North – is supported by a mission that will enhance the School’s mandate for the education of high-quality physicians and health professionals and reinforce the School’s international recognition as a leader in distributed, learning-centred, community-engaged education and health research.

The new plan calls for five strategic priorities that will enable the School to realize its new vision and mission. These include:

Enhancing NOSM’s Education Program

NOSM will expand its distributed education and learning model and ensure the ongoing inclusion and balance of integrated, interprofessional clinical learning throughout NOSM’s undergraduate, postgraduate, and health professional programs. This focus will enable NOSM graduates to easily integrate into community care settings which have adopted collaborative, patient-centered approaches.

Strengthening NOSM’s Research Initiatives

NOSM will focus on further developing its research agenda in line with its distributed education model, and continue to broaden the academic experience of its learners, faculty, and staff. These research activities will respect the unique cultural attributes of NOSM’s Aboriginal, Francophone, and other culturally distinct partners.

Developing NOSM’s Learning Environment

NOSM will continue to emphasize an inquiring learning environment tailored to the needs of all of its stakeholders, including students and residents, as well as staff, faculty, and medical and health practitioners.

Fostering Excellent Faculty Relations

NOSM’s operating model consists of unique challenges related to the recruitment and retention of qualified full-time, part-time, and stipendiary faculty. Innovative approaches toward faculty relations will be developed to ensure the sustainability of the NOSM model.

Enhancing Collaboration and Communication with Community Partners

NOSM’s distributed education model relies heavily on the support and involvement of the communities and key stakeholder groups. NOSM will continue to enhance communication tools that support the development of these community partnerships.

NOSM Dean Dr. Roger Strasser acknowledged the extensive work that was completed by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and the many contributors to the plan. “The new strategic plan is the result of a full year of collaboration and consultations with NOSM faculty, staff, Board of Directors, and stakeholders across the North. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has now transitioned from a start-up organization to a fully operational medical school, and so it is appropriate and timely to have a new strategic plan to guide this next phase of the School’s development,” he said.

The five-year plan builds on NOSM’s founding principles, which are consistent with progressive changes occurring at the forefront of medical education.

To access the full version of NOSM’s 2010 – 2015 Strategic Plan, please visit www.nosm.ca/strategicplan.