Using a combination of web- and teleconference connectivity across Northern Ontario, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held its quarterly meeting of the Indigenous Reference Group (IRG) and Ogichidaang Gagiigatiziwin—NOSM’s Circle of Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers—on Tuesday, February 20. Members began their one-day meeting with an opening prayer from Elder Phyllis Shagaubay, followed by a welcome from Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean.

Dr. David Marsh, Associate Dean, Community Engagement, who is stepping down from his administrative role at the School as of February 28, 2018, thanked the Indigenous Reference Group for their collaboration and support over the past eight years. “I appreciate the time and effort that each member of the Indigenous Reference Group contributes to the valuable work at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine,” says Marsh. Though transitioning out of the Associate Dean role, Marsh will continue as an active faculty member at NOSM devoting his time and energy to clinical service, research and teaching.

Indigenous Reference Group Co-Chairs, Drs. Charles Branch and Shannon Wesley, alumni of NOSM’s Family Medicine residency program, led the meeting. Members of the IRG and Ogichidaang Gagiigatiziwin received updates from Dr. James Goertzen, Assistant Dean, Continuing Education and Professional Development, who spoke about his research Developing Compassionate Physician Leaders in Northern Ontario and Jennifer Fawcett, Director, Postgraduate Education, who reported on NOSM’s Remote First Nations Family Medicine Residency Stream.

The Indigenous Reference Group serves as a resource for the medical school in the fulfilment of its social accountability mandate as it relates to Indigenous health education and research. The Indigenous Reference Group provides guidance, direction and advice to the Dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine as it relates to Indigenous issues, concerns, and interpretation.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s next Indigenous Reference Group meeting is scheduled to occur in May 2018.

The week of February 12-16, 2018, 20 Inuit students from six communities across Nunavut will participate in a Health Careers Camp. The camp’s home base will be at Nunavut Arctic College(NAC) in Iqaluit, with camp activities taking place at Qikiqtani General Hospital and in NAC’s simulation lab and classrooms.

Students from Arviat, Naujaat, Taloyoak, Clyde River, Pond Inlet, and Iqaluit—accompanied by a mentor from their communities—will have an opportunity to:

• Learn about the many possible health careers they could pursue;
• Experience hands-on clinical skills, such as putting on casts and suturing;
• Meet health-care professional role models from Nunavut;
• Receive safeTALK training from Nunavut’s Embrace Life Council; and,
• Build a career planning portfolio, mapping out needed courses for the careers that interest them, in alignment with the Aulajaaqtuut element of the Nunavut school curriculum.

This pilot project is intended to promote health careers among Nunavummiut and is based on a similar health career camp for youth designed by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine(NOSM) in Northern Ontario.

The camp has been planned by a steering committee consisting of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Nunavut Arctic College, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc, the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Education and Department of Health. Logistics and evaluation have been coordinated by Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre.

For information about the Nunavut Health Careers Camp, please contact:

Jennifer Wakegijig
Manager, Program Development
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
705-662-7296 or 705-936-6080 (cell)
jwakegijig@nosm.ca

Sidney Horlick
Research Assistant & Camp Coordinator
Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre
867-975-2425
sidney.horlick@qhrc.ca