A new research project has received funding from the Ontario Strategy for Patient-Orientated Research (SPOR) Support Unit to take a closer look at diabetes within Ontario’s First Nations peoples, and help develop new programs and policies for those living with the disease.

Dr. Kristen Jacklin, Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology in the Human Sciences Division at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) at Laurentian University is one of three principal investigators leading the research. The team’s project Reducing the burden of diabetes on First Nations people in Ontario: Using population-level data to inform policy and practice has been awarded a $770,000 IMPACT Award from the Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit (OSSU). Dr. Jacklin will work alongside Dr. Mike Green (Queen’s University) and Dr. Jennifer Walker (Nipissing University) in leading this three-year project.

The research approach involves a formal partnership with the Chiefs of Ontario, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Studies (ICES) and the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRaNHR) at Laurentian University. Working with key stakeholders and a patient advisory group, the team will gather data on diabetes, assess and analyze it, and then use that information for the betterment of the First Nations communities in Ontario.

“The complexity of the delivery of health services in First Nations coupled with a lack of outcome data has been a hindrance in evaluating the impact of diabetes programs and policies in First Nations in Ontario to date,” says Dr. Jacklin. “Working under the guidance of the Chiefs of Ontario and the patient advisory group, we will now be able to examine, for the first time, the relationship between particular programs and policies on diabetes outcomes. This research is particularly significant to the First Nations in Northern Ontario who can face significant barriers when trying to access diabetes services in rural and remote communities, and who have greater difficulties accessing healthy fresh foods necessary for diabetes care management.”

“We will be producing a comprehensive assessment of diabetes, its complications and the health services use associated with that across the province for First Nations people,” says Dr. Green, the project lead. “We are going to be looking at their access to care and we’ll be studying specific policies that the stakeholder groups bring up. We’re going to be working very closely with them in a very integrated way in order to turn that data into information and knowledge that is useful to them in their decision-making about program delivery and policy making and to improve outcomes.”

“I am hopeful that this project will not only provide us with much needed information on diabetes trends, outcomes, and health service use in First Nations, but that it will also create a road map for what can be done through policy, programming, and intervention research to improve diabetes outcomes,” adds Dr. Jacklin.

The funding through the OSSU award, one of only seven being handed out, will help address the substantially rising rates of diabetes across the province, particularly within the First Nations population. Some of the complications associated with diabetes include renal failure, cardiovascular disease and amputations.

“Reducing diabetes in our communities is a priority and I am hopeful that this research with the involvement of our First Nation diabetes patients will make this research meaningful and real. Hearing the voice of First Nations individuals who are living with diabetes tell their stories will be important in evaluating those policies that affect the lives of First Nations citizens in Ontario,” states Grand Chief Patrick Madahbee, Chair of the Ontario Chiefs Committee on Health.

The IMPACT Awards are designed to bring together diverse stakeholders-patients, clinicians, researchers, policy makers, knowledge users, industry and other health sector participants-to develop and implement promising research opportunities that improve patient health outcomes and advance our health system. The OSSU is a collaboration across 12 leading Ontario health research centres (including CRaNHR at Laurentian University), and is jointly funded by the Government of Ontario and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Kiri Benson
Writer, Communications
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Phone:          705-662-7169
Email:           kbenson@nosm.ca

On Monday, June 15, 2015, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) was honoured to receive an international award for excellence in communications. The prestigious Gold Quill Award of Excellence was received from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) as part of IABC’s annual World Conference in San Francisco.

NOSM’s Communications Unit received the Gold Quill Award of Merit for the School’s communication campaign Give the Gift of Appreciation: NOSM’s Staff Awards of Excellence. This honour was awarded in the category for Internal Special Events in the Communications Skills division, and recognized the communications strategy employed to improve upon the School’s existing staff recognition program. Launched close to the holiday season, the campaign encouraged employees to nominate their colleagues for a recognition award to give them the gift of appreciation for the exceptional work they do each and every day.

“The success NOSM’s Awards of Excellence program is the result of a collaborative effort of NOSM’s communications team, human resources, and staff who have volunteered their time and expertise to celebrate the successes of their colleagues,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “The School’s Awards of Excellence program celebrates the achievements of NOSM staff members and pays tribute to the important work of all NOSM staff in the pursuit of the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

Gold Quill evaluators said NOSM’s Awards of Excellence program showed very good use of resources-particularly money, time, and effort. “Congratulations on using in-house resources,” the feedback from the IABC Gold Quill evaluators stated. The theme and look struck the reviewers as highly appropriate and well positioned for an awards program within a university environment.

The IABC 2015 Gold Quill Awards program recognizes business communication excellence globally, and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry.

From June 5-6, 2015, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held the 10^th annual Northern Health Research Conference (NHRC), this year hosted at Northern College in Timmins, Ontario.

For the last ten years, the Northern Health Research Conference has provided an important opportunity for NOSM faculty and researchers across the North to come together to discuss research relevant to the people and communities of Northern Ontario. Research is a critical part of every medical school, and contributes to all aspects of an academic environment. It provides important educational opportunities, creates a culture of inquiry and challenge, and contributes to bettering the health of our communities.

“Celebrating ten years of the Northern Health Research Conference is a testament to the importance of research at the School,” says Dr. Penny Moody-Corbett, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Research. “The NHRC has provided an occasion for networking each year, and for sharing and learning from each other about the valuable research that’s happening right in our own back yard.”

“Without doubt, one of the most encouraging aspects of our research programs is the depth of collaborative activity,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “In order to continue to further the exciting health research taking place in Northern Ontario, it is important that dispersed researchers have an opportunity to come together to discuss their work. This allows for a pan-Northern approach for collaborative research, where ideas can cross-pollinate, and like-minded researchers can combine their talents and expertise to support the development of a healthier Northern Ontario.”

Conference highlights:

• Dr. Stefan Grzybowski and Dr. Jude Kornelsen, Physicians Services Incorporated (PSI) Visiting Clinical Scholars from the University of British Columbia, spoke about how their personal experiences on Vancouver Island led them to research and re-think the delivery of health services in rural and remote communities.
• Dr. Janet Smylie, Director of the Well Living House Research Centre for Indigenous Infant, Child, and Family Health and Wellbeing, gave an engaging keynote presentation. Speaking on Indigenous specific social determinants of health and racism, Smylie asked participants to consider how they can work towards optimizing health care for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, based on emerging evidence in recent literature.
• Roger Walker, past president and CEO of the Timmins and District Hospital, shared his personal journey with-and observations on-health care, education, and research in small, rural, and northern hospitals. Based largely on his 15 years of experience in Northern Ontario, Walker spoke about Sioux Lookout as one example of an active research hub in a small Northern community.
• A special session was organized for high school students in Timmins. Students were selected to participate based on their interest in health and research-related careers. Hosted by NOSM’s Admissions and Learner Recruitment Unit in partnership with Science Timmins, the session provided more than 20 youth with an opportunity to learn about health research and careers from a NOSM researcher, and NOSM medical students shared information about their own path to being admitted to NOSM as well as information about the MD program. Students also sat in on conference presentations and attended a tour of Northern College’s Simulation Lab.
• Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean, and Dr. Greg Ross, NOSM’s past Associate Dean of Research, gave an engaging presentation titled, “Now, we are 10.” Reflecting back on the previous nine conferences, Strasser and Ross shared highlights of each NHRC and the impact of research on Northern Ontario.

The next Northern Health Research Conference will be held in June 2016 in Sault Ste. Marie, as part of NOSM’s 10^th anniversary celebrations.