Earlier today, five Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) medical students received research awards valued at $6,000 each from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO). An additional ten NOSM medical students received NOSM Founding Dean’s Summer Medical Student Research Awards also valued at $6,000 each.

This is the fourth year the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario has generously sponsored Summer Medical Student Awards for NOSM medical students. The program is a five-year commitment valued at nearly $250,000. These student research projects provide medical students with the opportunity to gain cardiovascular research training while working with an established NOSM researcher. The projects are carried out all across Northern Ontario. Similarly, the Founding Dean’s awards provide NOSM medical students with an opportunity to conduct hands-on research in a variety of disciplines and allow them to undertake research projects on a broad range of biological and social research topics.

“What makes these student scholarships so vital is the transfer of knowledge to medical students as they begin their careers,” says Dr. Marco Di Buono, Director of Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “The research they are about to undertake will begin an information-sharing pathway that starts with the students – as they learn and are mentored by strong researchers – and will later be shared with their communities for the benefit of Northern Ontario.”

This year’s student projects, supported by the HSFO, cover a full range of research studies including:
· How Aboriginal patients present to Northwest Ontario Regional Stroke Program;
· Looking at stroke mortality at the Sudbury Regional Hospital;
· Metabolic stress and oxygen deprivation in cardiac cells;
· Effect of cancer drugs on cardiac cells; and,
· Looking at adverse effects of iron overload leading to heart failure.

The five 2009 recipients of the HSFO Summer Medical Student Awards for NOSM are:
· Kevin Agostino
· Pamela Felhaber
· Yves Landry
· Britney Parlett
· Anna Maria Soviero

Immediately following the HSFO presentation, ten NOSM medical students were awarded NOSM Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards valued at $6,000 each.

Dr. Greg Ross, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Research, expressed enthusiasm regarding the value of the opportunities provided by the Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Award. “Research at NOSM is reflective of the School’s mandate to be socially accountable to the diverse cultures of Northern Ontario,” said Dr. Greg Ross. “The Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards allow our students to remain in the North for the summer and study topics relevant to the people and communities of Northern Ontario while gaining valuable research experience.”

The 2009 recipients of the Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards are:
· Kathleen Anderson
· Melissa Crawford
· Carla Dubois
· Stacey Erven
· Meghan Garnett
· Sean Gravelle
· David Harris
· Richard Nadeau
· Josee Poulin
· Zachary Veitch

This year’s student projects, supported by the Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards, include the following topics:
· Developing an evidence-based diabetes management improvement intervention for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients with diabetes on Manitoulin Island;
· How shared care and interprofessional collaboration can improve the delivery of mental health care in rural, remote, and Aboriginal communities in Northwestern Ontario;
· Evaluation of the utility of an infrared camera to asses joint heat in patients in comparison to a blinded joint assessment performed by a qualified therapist;
· Accuracy of screening for developmental disabilities in primary care settings;
· Survey of graduates from the family medicine anaesthesia third year resident training program in Northwestern Ontario from the past 15 years;
· Evaluation of the risk of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease in patients with chronic renal failure;
· Intergenerational differences and knowledge gaps in Interprofessional Collaboration and Education;
· Intensive care sedation and knowledge translation;
· Effect of SU1498 on the proliferation and survival of breast cancer cells; and,
· The examination of doxorubicin metabolites in rat xenografts of wild type and drug resistant MCF-7 breast tumor cells using the microdialysis technique.

NOSM Dean Dr. Roger Strasser noted that the School is fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “These awards provide medical students, our future physicians, with valuable experience in the field of research. I am very excited that fifteen awards, totaling $90,000, have been presented to the School’s medical students today,” said Dr. Strasser. “In this year of Milestone Celebrations at NOSM, ten Founding Dean Summer Medical Student Research Awards were presented – the most yet for one summer. I would like to congratulate the students on their awards and wish them success with their research,” said Dr. Strasser.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.

For further information about the Heart&Stroke Summer Medical Student Research Awards, please contact:

Colleen Kleven
HSFO Northern Ontario Publicist
(705) 561-5714
colleenkleven@vianet.ca

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Tariq Al-idrissi to the position of Director, Academic Information Management Solutions. In this role, Mr. Al-idrissi is responsible for all aspects of planning, implementing, and evaluating the information systems that support the storage, retrieval, and processing needs of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, as well as those that support educational activities at the School.

Expertise in medical education and information systems are unique strengths Mr. Al-idrissi brings to his new role. Among his career achievements are the various tasks he previously performed at the Medical School in the capacity of Lead Developer and Applications Architect. Mr. Al-idrissi’s innovation skills, demonstrated in the design of in-house systems and development methodologies, are supported by project management accomplishments, essential to the results-driven demands of the position.

In his capacity of Application Services Manager at TBayTel in Thunder Bay, Mr. Al-idrissi supported the strategic direction of the company by managing multiple projects involving cross-functional teams while coordinating all development projects.

The position of Director, Academic Information Management Solutions includes critical responsibilities: chief among them is the creative utilization of information technology to ensure that NOSM learning programs and curriculum are in a process of continuous improvement through the implementation of advances in medical and educational technology, informatics, and simulation. Mr. Al-idrissi’s command of software applications, programming, and operating systems are key strengths in utilizing electronic communications and information technology to deliver a fully distributed education program at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Mr. Al-idrissi’s degrees in business and system design in medical education fully prepare him to assist in the School’s mission of providing excellence in medical education.

Nearly 400 prospective medical school students were recently at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) campuses in Sudbury and Thunder Bay to undergo in-depth interviews as part of their application to the School’s M.D. program.

This year, NOSM received 1,845 applications. The applicants, many from Northern Ontario, are competing for 56 coveted student seats. Roughly half of the candidates selected for interviews were assessed in Sudbury at the School’s East Campus on March 28 and 29, 2009 while the remainder was assessed in Thunder Bay on April 4 and 5, 2009.

“This year marks the fifth year the Northern Ontario School of Medicine has accepted student applications. Just as in previous years, we are searching for highly motivated students from a variety of backgrounds who are self-directed, and who will excel in a small group-based, distributed learning environment,” said Dr. Marc Blayney, Associate Dean, Community Engagement. He added, “Our goal is to find those who have a strong interest in practicing medicine in communities in Northern Ontario.”

Candidates in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay were also given the opportunity to tour the medical school buildings and facilities, the respective city, and meet with currently enrolled students. “We have a team of trained community volunteers, medical school faculty, staff, and medical students helping us with the interview process,” said Dr. Blair Schoales, Assistant Dean of Admissions. “We sincerely thank all the volunteers for giving their time and expertise. They certainly made all the candidates feel welcomed.”

NOSM seeks to reflect the demographics of Northern Ontario, and encourages applicants who have spent five years or more in rural, remote or urban communities in Northern Ontario, as well as those who are Francophone, Aboriginal, or from other parts of rural Canada. Eighteen percent of the 391 interviewees self-identified as Francophone, while seven percent self-identified as Aboriginal. Females accounted for 62 percent of the applications, while 38 percent of the candidates were male.

Offers of admission from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will be sent out to successful candidates on May 15, 2009. Orientation Week for NOSM’s entering class of 2009 will begin on August 24, 2009.