Jill was born and raised in the beautiful city of Sault Ste. Marie. She graduated with a B.A.Sc. in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph and completed NODIP in 2015-2016. Jill is fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in a variety of dietetic practice settings in her hometown. Her first RD job was a casual position in long-term care, which was followed by working just over a year in public health. Jill is currently working as a Clinical RD in Medicine at Sault Area Hospital. During internship, Jill and her research partner, Paige Huycke, were provided with the opportunity to take part in an exciting research project. This research looked at Indigenous cultural competency in dietetics through conducting an online survey with RDs. The results of this project have been used to inform dietitians working with Indigenous peoples and the refinement of NODIP intern and preceptor tools, with the potential to integrate across Canadian dietetic internship programs. This research has since been published in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, where Jill was the recipient of the 2017 Morgan Award for the Quebec and Northeast Ontario Region from the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research. Jill was also honoured to receive the Strive Young Professionals Algoma Visionary Award for Industry Leader for Health and Wellness in January 2018 and the Sault Area Hospital Collaborative Practice Award for Novice Staff Member in 2019. Jill stays connected with NODIP through being a preceptor to interns and sitting on the NODIP Committee. The Committee is responsible for assisting with the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the program.
Erin Reyce (née Frank)
Erin graduated from the Dietetic Practicum Program’s inaugural class (formerly NODIP) in 2008, completing her training based out of Sault Ste. Marie. Originally from Thunder Bay, she earned her B.A.Sc. in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph in 2007. Erin joined the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit immediately after completing her dietetic practical training. Her portfolio focuses on advocacy work related to food insecurity and monitoring food affordability, as well as supporting a wide range of community food initiatives related to sustainable food systems and food environments. In 2024, Erin completed her Master of Public Health: Nutrition and Dietetics – Advanced Standing Program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Erin graduated from the Dietetic Practicum Program’s inaugural class (formerly NODIP) in 2008, completing her training based out of Sault Ste. Marie. Originally from Thunder Bay, she earned her B.A.Sc. in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph in 2007. Erin joined the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit immediately after completing her dietetic practical training. Her portfolio focuses on advocacy work related to food insecurity and monitoring food affordability, as well as supporting a wide range of community food initiatives related to sustainable food systems and food environments. In 2024, Erin completed her Master of Public Health: Nutrition and Dietetics – Advanced Standing Program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
New Urology Specialty Program Brings More Medical Residents to the North
A new residency program at NOSM University will help improve access to urology services in Northern Ontario.
Urologists are physicians who specialize in diseases of the male and female urinary tracts including the kidneys and bladder, and male reproductive organs. The program will train residents in voiding dysfunction, reconstructive urology, oncology, pediatrics, and infertility.
Many Northern Ontario communities do not have direct access to urological services. The program has a strong focus on health equity and will help residents to understand the challenges of offering urological care to rural patients, including patients in Indigenous communities, who may not have a urologist in their home community.
Residents will be based in Thunder Bay and will have clinical opportunities at both the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) and Health Sciences North in Greater Sudbury. Additional training will take place in smaller communities and regional hospitals. Physicians will learn to deliver care to rural communities as part of outreach programs, including Teleconsultation clinics. Through an inter-institutional agreement, the University of Toronto will provide additional mandatory rotations with specific training that is not available in Northern Ontario clinical settings.
“NOSM University is pleased to continue to expand our residency programs. Training urologists in the North will encourage more specialists to stay here to practise and to fill regional health-care needs,” says Dr. Rob Anderson, Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education.
The five-year program is now open for applications from medical graduates through the CaRMS R-1 match and will admit its first residents in July 2024.
Dr. Walid Shahrour, inaugural Program Director, Urology, currently serves as the surgical oncology lead for Northwestern Ontario and the lead of urology at TBRHSC. Dr. Shahrour completed a clinical fellowship in reconstructive urology and trauma at Kulkarni Hospital in Pune, India, following medical school and residency at McGill University. He joined the faculty at NOSM University in 2016. Dr. Shahrour’s clinical practice focuses on minimally invasive surgeries and on all aspects of reconstructive urology, including cancer survivorship, urethral reconstruction, men’s health, upper tract, and pediatric reconstruction. His research interests include reconstructive urology and health equity.
“I am very excited to help launch this new residency so that physicians in the North can offer better access to urology services where they are needed most,” says Dr. Shahrour.
The new program is part of NOSM University’s expansion, which will nearly double the number of postgraduate positions by 2028. This will be achieved by gradually adding new residency programs—including Urology—as well as by increasing the number of positions in existing programs. In the same time period, the capacity of the MD program will also gradually increase and nearly double.
Learn more about the new Urology program at nosm.ca/urology/.
