Winter is here with purpose.

Tuesday February 9th, 2021 Alexandra Poling Leave a comment

A truly powerful purpose statement is one that achieves two objectives: it must clearly articulate strategic goals and it must motivate the workforce. These objectives are equally important, both individually and synergistically. That is to say, when we understand and embrace our organization’s purpose, we’re inspired to do work that not only is good, but great.

The NOSM mission is to improve the health of Northern Ontarians by being socially accountable in our education and research programs and advocating for health equity. This vision is the inspiration and motivation for the School’s new initiatives, including founding NOSM’s new Centre for Social Accountability and our partnership with Ornge in Operation Remote Immunity. Thank you to all who volunteered with #OpRemoteImmunity. It became a complex project and, in the end, we seem to have more hands than were needed. The spirit of intentionally doing good is alive at NOSM.

I am realizing that great leaders are not born, they are made. The ability to help others triumph over adversity is not written into one’s genetic code, it is forged in crisis. As COVID-19 continues to race its way through communities and neighbourhoods, our leaders become “real” when they demonstrate behaviours that inspire people through difficult times. For NOSM, our leadership values are centered around respect, inclusivity and being socially accountable. Leadership means being a safe port and having clear direction, nimble tactics and thoughtful advocacy for our medical school.

Look at the terrific leaders in public health like Drs. Teresa Tam, Bonnie Henry, Penny Sutcliffe. They are tirelessly trying to answer the difficult questions about the ethical and moral issues in the allocation of vaccines—questions like: Who goes first? Why are people in Toronto posting selfies while doctors or Elders elsewhere aren’t getting it? What about access to ventilators? Who should be given the right to live? Why does age not factor in? The availability and distribution of the vaccine is a complex and ethical issue. To guide COVID-19 vaccine prioritization, distribution, and decision-making relies on consistency, stewardship, accountability, and public trust. It’s a very weighty and challenging topic that requires much energy and focus.

NOSM also has had to navigate around the emerging concerns about the filing for insolvency by Laurentian University. Many of you have been asking questions about the risks or impact for NOSM. I can assure you that we are monitoring this situation closely and as a separate legal entity with our own not-for-profit corporation and our own Board of Directors, NOSM is minimally affected.

Meanwhile, winter has arrived. A deep winter! Just for a moment, let’s take a breath. Consider the gifts of the natural world outside. Snow is just so beautiful, covering everything like a fluffy white blanket. The next time you find yourself outside, inhale deeply. There is almost no pollution in the air this winter. The crisp, clean air is the equivalent to winning the lottery. It’s a great feeling.

For me with a chronic lung disease, Northern Ontario’s clean air has made a huge difference, in combination with no travel, sleeping in my own bed, good nutrition and seeing family on Zoom I am managing to ‘survive’ the pandemic.

As we venture through February and the hardest stage of the winter, please think about what you are doing to maintain your health. Share your self-care routine or advice with the rest of us. What are you doing to feel better? How are you surviving the pandemic?

If you have any feedback or comments, please reach out at dean@nosm.ca and follow me on twitter @ddsv3.

Honouring NOSM’s Black leaders during Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate Black culture and the many contributions made by Black learners, physicians, academics and staff at NOSM. The events of the past year amplify the importance of anti-racism our commitment to #RespectTheDifference. Read my statement on Black History Month.

Join us monthly at Pan-Northern Clinical Rounds

On the first and third Wednesday of each month, Pan-Northern Clinical Rounds will provide NOSM faculty, learners, staff, and health-care professionals across Northern Ontario with relevant clinical education. Please encourage your colleagues and learners to take in the Rounds as we learn together and from each other. Register now.

Francophone Health in Primary Care Webinar Series

In recognition of the International Francophonie Day on March 20, NOSM’s Francophone Affairs Office is hosting a French-language webinar series. Throughout the month of March, webinars will focus on topics related to Francophone health in primary care. Follow NOSM’s social media @thenosm or visit nosm.ca to get the detailed information about each session.

NOSM Board of Directors Seeks Three Members

If you share NOSM’s commitment to improve health care access for the people and communities in Northern Ontario, this is an ideal opportunity for you. NOSM’s vision of innovative education and research for a healthier North means we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing high-quality education to physicians and health professionals, and continue to be a leader in distributed, learning-centred, community-engaged education and research. Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2021.

Project Connect

NOSM medical students Rebecca Bourdon and Alexandra Dozzi are collecting gently used cell phones to be re-purposed and given to survivors of intimate partner violence. They’re working with local organizations and shelters to help survivors gain access to services, care, housing, employment and independence. If you have a gently used cell phone, which you would be willing to donate to this meaningful project, please email Rebecca at remailloux@nosm.ca or Alexandra at adozzi@nosm.ca to arrange contactless pickup or drop-off. Please help spread the word.

Justina Marianayagam representing NOSM at WHO

Early last year, Justina Marianayagam was selected to represent Canada by the World Health Organization (WHO). She worked for months with the International Guideline Development Group under the WHO’s Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health. The International Guideline on the Management of Chronic Pain in Children was recently published. Justina was one of three Canadians selected for her work in health-care advocacy and research, and was able to bring the perspective of both a medical student and patient partner. As a former pediatric patient, she spent most of her adolescent years at SickKids Hospital navigating the in-patient wards. Justina expresses her thanks to NOSM for continued support and is proud to have represented her school internationally. Official release of the WHO Guideline.

Homepage News, News, Uncategorized

Town of Smooth Rock Falls rallies together to win The NOSM Trivia Challenge

Tuesday February 9th, 2021 Alexandra Poling

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) declares the Smooth Rock Falls Hospital Foundation and community member Trista Breton the official winners of The NOSM Trivia Challenge. The trivia contest ran from November 10, 2020 to January 12, 2021.

Individuals across the country were invited to pick any Northern Ontario community from the drop-down menu and help them win $10,000 for a local health-care centre and qualify for a $1,000 individual cash prize. Questions related specifically to Northern Ontario, including: Indigenous and Francophone health; health equity in the North; impacts of access to health care in the region geography; and, history and culture.

NOSM launched the online game with the announcement of the School’s new strategic plan, The NOSM Challenge 2025. “The NOSM Trivia Challenge was developed to help our communities and supporters learn more about NOSM, about health care in the North and general facts about Northern Ontario,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, NOSM Dean, President and CEO. “It was a fun, creative and COVID-safe way to connect the communities of Northern Ontario with their medical school. We are impressed with the spirit and collaboration within these communities to rally together in order to improve quality health care in their region.”

More than 1,300 registrants took part in The NOSM Trivia Challenge, with 77 Northern Ontario communities represented. Communities with the highest score following Smooth Rock Falls were Red Lake, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Hornepayne and Marathon. A full list of the rankings can be found on NOSM’s website.

Lina Arseneault is a member of the Board of Directors for the Smooth Rock Falls Hospital Foundation. She encouraged community participation by posting a challenge on Facebook. With posts in French and English, Arseneault explained how their community could play the NOSM Trivia Challenge and win some much needed funds for the local hospital. She says she was absolutely thrilled with how the community came together.

“The $10,000 prize is going to be used to buy three hydraulic lifts for the long-term care area of the hospital,” Arseneault says. “The lifts will benefit both patients and staff, aiding them in safely and securely moving people from a bed to a wheelchair to a bathtub. It was a community effort for a greater purpose that will serve future generations and loved ones.”

The $1,000 cash prize went to Trista Breton, who also resides in Smooth Rock Falls.

“Thank you to everyone who played the game,” says Dr. Verma. “We hope you had fun learning more about health care in Northern Ontario and the unique challenges NOSM is working to overcome in its strategic plan. Thank you to the our sponsor, TD Insurance, for their assistance in making The NOSM Trivia Challenge possible.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3IkHl2DeuU

In the Spotlight, Uncategorized

Fond memories of practice in Northern Ontario

Monday February 8th, 2021 Alexandra Poling

Dr. Hugh Robertson explains what sparked the largest individual donation in NOSM’s history

Dr. Hugh Roberston is a force in the field of radiology. He is Emeritus Professor of Radiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centre and Clinical Professor of Radiology at Tulane University Medical Centre in New Orleans.

And yet, some of his earliest experiences practising in Northern Ontario have remained dearest to him, inspiring his $1.2 million gift to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). It is the largest individual donation in the history of NOSM. He recognizes the need.

Memories of Northern Ontario

His, is a career rich with experience that began early on in life. Dr. Robertson recalls his father’s family medicine practice in Kirkland Lake and in Cochrane in the 1920s, and his mother’s nursing career. Both worked in the North during Canada’s typhoid epidemic. He recalls “the resilience” of the town during that time.

They are experiences that drew him back to Cochrane to follow in his father’s footsteps in the 1960’s, following his degrees at Queen’s University and MD at University of Ottawa. He speaks fondly of the Northern rural family physicians who mentored him.

“I went to Cochrane to work with Dr. Albert Bohr a family physician fluent in both French and English. I also worked with Dr. Philip Bernstein a long-time practitioner in the area. When I was there I encountered the widest scope of practice,” Dr. Roberston says.

“When I think of rural medicine, I think ‘large scope of practice’ you’re talking about everything from high-risk obstetrics to dealing with rare disease. When covering for family physicians as a locum it’s such a unique experience. I learned very quickly that I had to be as knowledgeable as possible on all aspects of medicine.”

Rural medicine inspired him to choose radiology as a medical specialty because it dovetails across all other medical specialties. He also covered as a locum for radiologists in Kirkland Lake, which included covering ten hospitals within a 200-mile radius, and another year at the Thunder Bay General Hospital in Fort William, before going to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to study vascular radiology.

“I have great respect for the people of the North. They have less access to health care than other parts of Canada and yet, I noticed that people had a great fondness for life in the North.”

The value of rural, remote Residency

“I think for the students at NOSM who are interested in providing family medicine that this is a real opportunity to advance knowledge in that area. I’ve met several physicians over the years, and many of the most notable were those I met in rural practices.”

He describes the value of being a medical resident in Northern Ontario for his opportunities to explore the specialties and expand his career into radiology.

“In terms of residency training, you develop to be progressively more skilled at local community hospitals. You understand the challenges and learn the value of providing the most decisive care in emergencies. I know from practising in Cochrane, we had to send patients 70 miles away to the closest referral centre where there were only a few specialists which was a real challenge but it’s improving. That stayed with me.”

Giving back

Dr. Roberston would go on to work in several southeastern medical universities in the United States including Cornell Medical Centre in New York, Hale Medical Centre, Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, Philadelphia General Hospital, and later train in neuroradiology in South Carolina. Before retiring, he worked at Charity Hospital (where he dreamed of working when he was a medical student), Tulane University and Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

“It was very interesting, over the years I was able to be a visiting professor to 12 countries including visits to Russia and China. I want to give back because I had wonderful experiences and I am very grateful for all the opportunities along the way.”

He says the timing of the gift had much to do with his intimate understanding of the challenges of remote medicine, now coupled with the pandemic. “I realized there was certainly a great need for funding right now and I could provide something worthwhile. I am certainly very interested in the development of the School and of family medicine in Northern Ontario.”

About the Centre for Social Accountability

One-of-a-kind, the Centre for Social Accountability’s contributions to research and advocacy, will result in better informed decisions about challenges facing the system of health-care delivery in Northern Ontario, leading to better population health outcomes. Fundamental to this will be research and advocacy into determinants of health, such as mental health and addictions, water safety and food security, and climate change which will magnify the impact of NOSM’s education and advocacy efforts within the system. By measuring NOSM’s impact through its provision of health-care workforce and implementation of health human resource planning, the Centre will be recognized for its leadership in Indigenous, Francophone and Rural health at a national and international level.

To learn more visit: NOSM News. If you are interested in contributing to the future of medicine in Northern Ontario, contact NOSM’s Advancement Team or visit https://www.nosm.ca/advancement/giving/ways-to-give/