On Friday, January 31, 2014, Dr. Roger Strasser, Dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), was awarded one of seven Special Awards for Outstanding Health Professional Educators. The awards were presented during the closing ceremonies of the weeklong, annual Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) 2014, this year held in Pattaya, Thailand.

The Prince Mahidol Award Conference focuses on health issues of global significance in order to inspire positive policy reform. From January 27-31, 2014, approximately 550 participants from over 60 countries came together at PMAC to explore Transformative Learning for Health Equity. Three years since The Lancet Global Commission Report:  Health professionals for a new century: Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world,  PMAC 2014 consisted of many outstanding presentations by world leaders in fields relevant to implementing The Lancet Commission’s recommendations for instructional and institutional reforms.

This year, the PMAC presented special awards for outstanding health professional educators whose work had a strong impact on the improvement of health care. Strasser was nominated for the award due to his commitment to delivering training in rural and remote areas, for innovation in education that has lead to the production of quality health professionals, and for his visionary leadership that has changed paradigms of learning.

“This award is not for me alone, but rather, for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine as a whole, recognizing the collective success of everyone who has contributed to the School’s world-leading achievements,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “It is truly exciting for NOSM to be recognized as a leader in social accountability through distributed, learning-centered, community-engaged education and research.”

Photo attached: NOSM Dean Dr. Roger Strasser receives Special Award for Outstanding Health Professional Educators at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference in Pattaya, Thailand.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is seeking two (2) volunteer members to join its Aboriginal Reference Group (ARG): one (1) Aboriginal youth member (between 18 and 29 years of age), and one (1) Aboriginal health-care professional.

The Aboriginal Reference Group is an integral part of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. It is a multi-disciplinary committee that advises the Dean on all pertinent initiatives relating to Aboriginal health, research, education, and administration. The ARG provides an important mechanism through which members of Aboriginal communities in the North are able to have substantive input into the School’s operations and priorities.

As a volunteer with the ARG, the incumbent would serve for a three-year term and would:

• Provide insight, direction, and guidance to the Dean.
• Contribute to NOSM’s unique mandate to be socially accountable to the people and communities that the School serves.
• Ensure that the interests of Aboriginal peoples continue to be accurately reflected in the direction of the School.
• Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the ARG strategic plan.
• Attend ARG meetings on a quarterly basis.

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and three (3) written references for consideration. All applicants must explain why they feel they would be best suited for this position.

Applications, enquiries, and expressions of interest should be forwarded to:
Chair, Aboriginal Reference Group
c/o Aboriginal Affairs
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 5E1

The application deadline is Friday, February 28, 2014.

A Banner Fundraising Year for Volunteer Employees of Essar Steel Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie 

From January 20-25, 2014, volunteer employees and retirees of Essar Steel Algoma Inc. came together for their eighth annual Bring a Doctor Home Hockey Tournament at the John Rhodes Community Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. Since its inception in 2006, the Bring a Doctor Home Tournament has raised over $160,000 student bursaries that support medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) who hail from the Sault.

A volunteer appreciation event was held on Thursday, January 23, 2014 to celebrate the $30,596 raised for the Bring a Doctor Home Bursary at NOSM. A cheque for this amount was presented to Dr. Janice Willett, NOSM Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs on behalf of the School. In addition to being an Associate Dean at the School, Dr. Willett is also a gynecologist from Sault Ste. Marie.

“The volunteers for the Bring a Doctor Home Tournament provide a shining example of how, when people come together, they can truly inspire positive change in their community,” says Dr. Janice Willett, NOSM Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs. “The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is grateful to the community of Sault Ste. Marie for the generous support that they provide to our learners each year.”

“Everyone connected to the Bring a Doctor Home Tournament understands our goal of recruiting physicians,” says tournament Financial Director and Treasurer, Brent Lamming. “Many of our collaborators are presently without a primary care physician. With our efforts, we are sincerely hopeful that students, upon completion of their training, will return to our city and become part of our community.”

The 2013 collection for this tournament marks the highest year of donations to the Bring a Doctor Home Tournament, beating the previous banner years of $24,241 and $23,000 and 2012 and 2011 respectively.