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NOSM University Unveils Rooted in the North Strategic Plan to Expand Access to Care Across Northern Ontario

Gallery Thursday March 12th, 2026 Alexandra Poling

NOSM University launches Rooted in the North, its 2026 to 2030 Strategic Plan designed to strengthen the Northern health workforce, expand community-based education, and advance health equity across Northern Ontario. The five-year plan sets a clear course to grow training capacity, deepen regional partnerships, and enhance research that directly supports rural, remote, Indigenous, and Francophone communities.

Northern Ontario faces persistent health workforce shortages, long travel distances to care, and disparities that disproportionately affect underserved communities. Rooted in the North responds with tailored actions to train, retain, and support health professionals where they are needed most.

Grounded in a special mission to serve Northern Ontario, the plan builds on NOSM University’s distributed, community-engaged model and outlines measurable goals across education, partnership, research, and institutional growth.

“Health equity in Northern Ontario depends on training and supporting health professionals in the North, for the North,” says Dr. Michael Green, President, Vice-Chancellor, Dean, and CEO of NOSM University. “Rooted in the North ensures we grow in a way that strengthens communities, expands access to care, and prepares us to meet the evolving health needs of the region.”

The plan was formed through an extensive consultation process with nearly 2,000 contributions from learners, faculty, staff, alumni, partner organizations, and community members who took part. It establishes four strategic pillars supported by core enablers of social accountability, advocacy, and sustainability.

The Pillars of Rooted in the North include:

1. Deliver exceptional health education for the North

2. Build sector leading partnerships with community, education, and health partners

3. Advance research and graduate studies in the North

4. Strengthen NOSM University’s foundations to enable growth

Social accountability—addressing the priority health concerns of the North—remains central to the University’s direction. The plan commits to advancing health equity for Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote, and underserved communities, strengthening culturally safe and anti-racist environments and advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action in medical education and health professions.

“Communities across Northern Ontario made NOSM University possible,” said Mr. John Stenger, Chair of the Board of Governors. “Rooted in our special mission and guided by our communities, this strategy ensures we remain strong, sustainable, and responsive as health system needs evolve.”

Over the next five years, NOSM University will put this plan into action by strengthening education, growing research, building partnerships, and supporting sustainable growth.

The Strategic Plan webpage will be live on March 11 at: strategicplan.nosm.ca.

The Plan is available now for download in English and French.

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A Lasting Legacy: Carolyn Sinclair’s memory lives on through Sinclair Family Bursary

Wednesday February 25th, 2026 Caroline Cox

When Carolyn Jean Sinclair joined the Board of Directors at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine—now NOSM University—in 2010, she brought with her a deep sense of responsibility to her community, a passion for education, and the unwavering belief that the health of Northern Ontario could be strengthened through collaboration, innovation, and compassion.

For six years, Carolyn served as a member of NOSM University’s Board, contributing her wisdom and perspective during a period of growth and transformation. Those who worked alongside Carolyn remember her as an energetic advocate for the mission of NOSM University, reflecting her lifelong dedication to improving access to health care and education across the region.

Carolyn’s journey to NOSM University was rooted in her broader life of service. Born and raised in the Oshawa, Ontario area, she was a lifelong learner with a variety of interests. After completing her education at the University of Toronto, she taught at various educational institutions and went on to work in roles that supported the advancement of education and health care. She subsequently pursued studies at Laurentian University, where Carolyn earned both an undergraduate degree in French and a Master of Arts in Humanities.

Alongside her professional work, Carolyn was an active volunteer, contributing to countless organizations that enriched the cultural and social fabric of her community. Her varied volunteering included teaching English as a second language, delivering fitness classes at the YMCA, lending her time to the Canadian Cancer Society and St. Peter’s Church, as well as serving on boards of the Trillium Foundation, the Theatre du Novel Ontario, and Laurentian University (serving as Board Chair from 2007-2011). Carolyn’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning were evident in every role she undertook. She never shied away from difficult conversations, and she embraced new ideas with optimism and courage. Whether it was championing the arts, advancing health-care causes, or mentoring young leaders, Carolyn approached each commitment with warmth and conviction.

Devotion to family was as central to Carolyn’s life as her public service. Together with her husband Mac, she raised two children, James and Ian, instilling in them the values of kindness, integrity, and service. Her home was a place of love, learning, and lively conversation, and her friendships stretched across generations and communities. Carolyn had an extraordinary gift for making people feel seen and heard, which extended into every aspect of her life.

One of Carolyn’s most enduring contributions to NOSM University was the creation of the Sinclair Family Bursary, which provides scholarships to medical students, helping to ease the financial burden of pursuing a medical degree. Following her passing in November 2024, Carolyn’s family chose the bursary as a way for friends and loved ones to honour her life, resulting in an outpouring of support that strengthened the fund for future students.

The generosity shown in her honour reflects how deeply she was loved and stands as a testament to her legacy of compassion. By championing the education of future physicians, Carolyn’s legacy continues to shape the health and wellbeing of communities across the North. Each bursary recipient who goes on to serve in a clinic, hospital, or health centre carries forward Carolyn’s vision for a healthier North, extending her impact through the countless patients and families whose lives are touched by the care of NOSM University learners and alumni.

As a Board member, Carolyn understood the importance of NOSM University’s social accountability mandate: the idea that a medical school must directly respond to the needs of the people it serves. She championed policies and initiatives that strengthened this mandate so that NOSM University graduates would not only be highly trained but also deeply connected to the communities in which they would work.

Today, her legacy lives on at NOSM University through the Sinclair Family Bursary and through the many learners and colleagues inspired by her example. Each donation made in her memory strengthens the bursary and extends her impact, ensuring that Carolyn’s belief in education, health care, and community endures for generations.

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Joy in Community: The Legacy of Dr. Remi Ogundimu

Friday February 20th, 2026 Caroline Cox

When Nigerian-Canadian pediatrician Dr. A. Oluremi Odulana-Ogundimu (known as Dr. Remi Ogundimu) set out to make Sudbury a home for her family in the 1980s, very few Black people lived there, she says.

“When you are in a new place, you look around. You find that you can count people who look like you on your fingers. The other Black people are not from where you are from. You say: How do we connect together? How do we share things? If I need help, who do I go to? Can I go to people who look like me? You have a chance to connect with people and to make things better for your children.”

Dr. Ogundimu, along with her husband, neurosurgeon Dr. Fadegbola Ogundimu, and two other Black physicians, aimed to build community by creating the Afro-Heritage Association of Sudbury (AHA), which they founded in 2005. More than two decades on, AHA continues to thrive—and so does Sudbury’s Black community, which now also boasts associations for Sudburians with Ghanaian, Kenyan, Cameroonian, and Nigerian heritage, as well as a host of African restaurants and cultural events.

“The number of Black people in Sudbury has continued to grow,” Dr. Ogundimu says. “For those of us who have been here a long time, the changes to this community are so elating.”

In addition to her work with AHA, where she recently retired from leadership on the Board after decades of service, Dr. Ogundimu has served on the Board of the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association, including as President and Vice-President. She was the first woman president of the Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Surgeons and was an Assistant Professor at NOSM University from 2005-2014.

Dr. Ogundimu has been recognized for her community leadership with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, an Ontario Volunteer Service Award, and Canada 150 Volunteer Award; was celebrated as Woman of the Month in 2018 by the Business and Professional Women’s Association of Greater Sudbury; was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from Huntington University; and was one of the first 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women recognized at the inaugural awards ceremony. Yet she remains modest, warm, and approachable, driven by a deep desire to find joy in community and to improve life for others, including youth.

“If a Black child walks into a place and they don’t see other Black people, they will wonder if they belong. When they do see people who look like them, they feel comfortable, confident, and ready to move forward. We need to be more visible in the community. I want other people of my colour to see that success is possible and that they belong here. If we do this together, we will build a stronger community where everyone supports one another and can reach out for help,” she says.

When the Northern Ontario School of Medicine opened its doors, AHA was one of the first organizations to establish a bursary supporting medical students. The Afro-Heritage Association Bursary has provided financial aid to NOSM University students since its creation in 2006.

Recognizing that there were few scholarships devoted to Black youth, in 2007 Dr. Ogundimu and AHA, alongside Sudbury lawyer Jack Braithwaite, worked to establish a second fund—the Michaëlle Jean Sudbury Afro-Canadian Heritage Fund, which supports Black youth pursuing post-secondary education at any institution. Two years ago, the bursary was renamed the Dr. Oluremi Ogundimu Sudbury Afro-Canadian Heritage Association Fund—much to Dr. Ogundimu’s amazement.

“I was at the grocery store when Dr. Chantae [Bekai, then AHA President] phoned asking to drop by. When I got home, she and other AHA members presented me with a plaque and they said, ‘We are naming this bursary after you.’ It was a huge surprise. I didn’t suspect anything,” Dr. Ogundimu recalls.

“We want the students to know that we are ready to support them and help them to achieve,” she adds, about both bursaries. AHA continues to contribute to student bursaries.

This February, Canada marks 30 years of Black History Month. Dr. Ogundimu praises the efforts of the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons—and her dear friend—the Honourable Jean Augustine, who introduced a motion into the House of Commons to recognize the first Black History Month. The motion passed unanimously in December 1995. (Augustine is also the founder of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women, which recognized Dr. Ogundimu at their inaugural ceremony in 2016.)

When asked what Black History Month means to her, Dr. Ogundimu recalls a field trip she took with fellow university students in Nigeria to see where slaves had been loaded onto ships. “You’ve lived with that history and people are now saying it’s over,” she says. “But we can’t dismiss history. We need to understand the history because we don’t want the bad history to repeat itself. You want to move forward. Together, we can make the world a healthy, peaceful, and joyous place to live.”