When NOSM University opened its doors in 2005, it premiered a new model of distributed, community-engaged medical education in Northern Ontario. Established with an explicit social accountability mandate to improve health equity, NOSM University educates future physicians, dietitians, and health-care professionals for practise in rural, Northern, Francophone, and Indigenous communities.

As part of NOSM University’s social accountability mandate, researchers began tracking students and graduates to understand the long-term impacts of the model by conducting a longitudinal research study that is now internationally renowned. The study, called the Health Education and Workforce Impact study (HEWIS), surveys medical students in the first and fourth years of the MD program to understand their preferences, reasons for attending NOSM University, where they want to practise, and more.

“It’s designed to help us understand not just the decisions that they make in their career, but why they make them,” says Dr. Brian Ross, NOSM University Professor.

In May, Dr. Ross, along with co-collaborators Margaret French, and Drs. Sarah Newbery and Erin Cameron, published findings from 20 years of the study. Their results show that 51.3 per cent of NOSM University graduates have stayed in Northern Ontario to practise, and among graduates who stayed, the majority have chosen family medicine. The percentage of NOSM University MD graduates choosing family medicine is among the highest of all Canadian medical schools and is dramatically higher than the percentage of Canadian medical students who choose family medicine on average.

“In their first year, most students express a desire to become family doctors, and we successfully retain the vast majority,” says Dr. Ross. “However, among those who initially indicate an interest in other specialties, approximately 40 per cent ultimately choose family medicine.

“If Canada has a family medicine problem, we have a solution,” he continues.

Dr. Ross partly attributes these high rates to compulsory rural community placements throughout Northern Ontario. The mandatory third-year Comprehensive Community Clerkship requires medical students to spend approximately eight months living and learning in a Northern Ontario community and undertaking clinical experience anchored in family practices.

The tracking study offers valuable insights into what strategies are effective and how NOSM University is fulfilling its mandate. It also sheds light on the factors influencing whether graduates of NOSM University’s programs remain in Northern communities after training or choose to leave. Dr. Ross says that the data can also be used to attract prospective students and medical residents and strengthen retention across all specialties.

“Much of this evidence demonstrates that our model works. It achieves its goal and is worth the investment due to its success,” adds Dr. Ross.

The research team is also collecting data on medical residents—physicians who have completed their MD degrees and are enrolled in mandatory specialty training, such as family medicine—which is currently being prepared for analysis. Dr. Ross hopes this information will provide further insights into how retention rates can be increased across the North. “The essence of the tracking study is to understand what graduates do and why, enabling us to design programs and processes that will retain more doctors in Northern Ontario where they are needed.”

Learn more: HEWIS at NOSM University

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NOSM University is Canada’s first independent medical university and one of the greatest education and physician workforce strategy success stories of NorthernOntario. More than just a medical university, it was purpose-built to address thehealth needs of the region. While advocating for equitable access to care, theuniversity contributes to the economic development of Northern Ontario. NOSM University relies on the commitment and expertise of the people of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote, and underserved communities. With a focus ondiversity, inclusion, and advocacy, NOSM University is an award-winning, sociallyaccountable organization renowned for its innovative model of distributed,community-engaged education and research.

NOSM University is holding an Open House to celebrate 20 years in the North. Join us on November 21, 2025 from 2-5 p.m. RSVP

For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca

Gallery, In the Spotlight, Uncategorized

Celebrate 20 Years in the North at NOSM University’s Open House

Thursday October 30th, 2025 Caroline Cox

Northern Ontario, you’re invited to celebrate two decades of impact at NOSM University’s 20th Anniversary Open House. Explore our campuses, connect with the community that built Canada’s first independent medical university, and look ahead to the next 20 years of innovation in the North.

Date: Friday, November 21, 2025

Time: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Locations:
NOSM University in Thunder Bay, 955 Oliver Road
NOSM University in Sudbury, 935 Ramsey Lake Road

RSVP

Addressing the Gaps, Community Stories, In the Spotlight, Uncategorized

Meet Bobbi Derkson, a Site Administrative Coordinator Who Connects Learners to Community in Kenora

Wednesday October 29th, 2025 Caroline Cox

Site Administrative Coordinators (SACs) are vital to NOSM University, ensuring medical learners not only succeed during their placements, but thrive in the Northern communities where they learn. In Kenora, Bobbi Derkson is doing just that, and much more.

A Kenora resident for over twenty years, Derkson is more than a site administrator. She’s a mentor, cultural guide, and community connector, with deep roots in both the community and the health-care world.

“I make sure our students feel supported and welcome,” says Derkson. “My favourite part of my job is when a student rushes into my office, excited to share something new they’ve discovered. Seeing them return again and again, that’s the best thing.”

A SAC’s involvement begins long before learners arrive in the community—managing everything from confirming placements and coordinating housing, to setting up credentials. Once learners are in the community, the SAC handles everything from logistics to emotional support. This helps learners have a smooth start in the hospital and the community.

“If students arrive by bus and need groceries, I usually pick them up and help them with that first big shopping trip for groceries,” Derkson says. “After that, they meet other students and find rides, but usually that first trip is with me.”

Derkson even takes care of the practical details, securing learners’ hospital badges, parking passes, and ensuring access to bicycles, kayaks, and canoes for use during downtime.

An orientation week includes tours of the hospital and local organizations. Introducing learners to the community and culture takes on a special importance in Kenora, Derkson believes.

“Kenora has a very large First Nations population and there are several First Nations communities nearby,” Derkson explains. “I try to teach students some Anishinaabe words and sayings. I print the words off and post them in the student lounge to assist learners with hearing and reading the language. I also invite them to a Sweat Lodge. We introduce students to Traditional Medicine and Cedar Baths, and I keep ribbon skirts in the student lounge in case they want to go to ceremony, or a sweat or Pow Wow. This year we attended a Pow Wow during Orientation Week.”

Derkson knows her work contributes to retention and connecting visiting learners with the community. “Officially, I’m not a recruiter—but in many ways, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Derkson says. “We hope that students have a good experience here. That’s part of why I do what I do. My goal is to help people feel rooted and connected in the community, so they have a positive experience and consider returning.”

Still, there are challenges, especially when it comes to infrastructure and transportation. “One issue that is challenging here is housing,” Derkson says. “And there are no flights to Kenora anymore. People fly to Winnipeg and then drive two hours. Renting a car has become so expensive that some programs won’t cover car rentals for our locum doctors.”

When learners arrive in a community, they bring energy, skills, and a willingness to contribute that extends far beyond the hospital walls. The impact can be felt across the community. “We had a student who coached the high school football team,” Derkson says. “Seeing that kind of community integration is really rewarding.”

Ultimately, Derkson is optimistic about the future of health education in the region. She is supporting systemic change through the development of a rural generalist model by All Nations Health Partners, which aims to provide all physicians with one schedule, alleviating many of the challenges that arise when balancing learners’ schedules.

For those considering a role like Derkson’s, she doesn’t sugarcoat it: “This is not a Monday-to-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. job. Students will call you at night and they’ll need help on the weekends. But it’s an extremely rewarding job. I love the students.”

“What can a placement in Kenora offer? I always say our hospital is small, but mighty,” says Derkson. “I’ve lived in Kenora for 20 years, and whenever I get the opportunity, I ensure the community knows about the medical students who come here.”

What brings Derkson the most joy, she says, is seeing learners return to the North as practicing professionals.

SACs across Northern Ontario share Derkson’s dedication, passion, and deep understanding of what it means to learn and serve in the North. They work to exemplify the heart of NOSM University’s mission: to grow and support health professionals who are ready, resilient, and deeply rooted in the communities they serve.

A big thank-you to NOSM University SACs in Bracebridge, Dryden, Elliot Lake, Fort Frances, Hearst, Huntsville, Kapuskasing, Kenora, Manitoulin Island, Midland, North Bay, Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Sudbury, Temiskaming Shores, Thunder Bay, Timmins, and West Nipissing.