Scientists from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand Join Forces

An Associate Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is partnering in a unique new research approach specifically designed for First Nations pregnant women. The study will commence this spring in several communities across Ontario and Manitoba with the goal of reducing the marked early childhood caries (tooth decay) disparities that exist between First Nations and non-First Nations children in Canada.

The Canadian arm of this project is funded at almost $1.2 million dollars by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It will involve both clinical components, including treatment and fluoride applications, as well as behavioural modification including anticipatory guidance and motivational interviewing. Results will be compared with partner initiatives lead by Australian and New Zealand teams.

The project is highly participatory and involves close collaboration between Aboriginal communities and university-based researchers. Dr. Pam Williamson, Executive Director of the Noojmowin Teg Health Centre and a member of the First Nations community herself, explains. “In 2004, Noojmowin Teg Health Centre completed research on the oral health of children within our catchment area on Manitoulin Island. We found that dental caries among First Nations children was very high. This was one reason for accepting the invitation to partner in this project. We expect that the participation of women and their children in our area will help break the cycle of childhood dental decay and maybe even have a positive impact on the entire family.”

Dr. Marion Maar, an Associate Professor at NOSM and co-investigator on this international project, has collaborated with First Nations in Northern Ontario on health research for over a dozen years, including the Noojmowin Teg dental project on Manitoulin. “Dental disease can cause a lot of suffering for children, it impacts on children’s ability to eat, play, and sleep. But pain is only one of the issues. It can also be associated with ear infections, obesity and low self-esteem. Treatment in children often requires expensive treatment under a general anesthetic. It is very exciting to expand my involvement in Aboriginal child health to include Northern Ontario First Nations along with Indigenous people worldwide to address an issue that impacts on the well-being of so many children,” said Maar.

Principal investigator, Dr. Herenia Lawrence, from the University of Toronto, says, “We hope that by working in partnership with Aboriginal communities here in Canada we can create an intervention that will reduce the dental treatment needs of young children and motivate mothers to subscribe to better preventative oral health practices. Our long-term goal is to create a culturally appropriate intervention that reduces dental disease burden and health inequalities among pre-school Indigenous children in the participating countries and that can be readily applied to other populations with high levels of early childhood caries.”

Four other Canadian Universities will join NOSM for this investigation including the University of Toronto, the University of Manitoba, the University College of the North, and the University of Waterloo. The five-year study is called Reducing Disease Burden and Health Inequalities Arising From Chronic Dental Disease Among Indigenous Children: An Early Childhood Caries Intervention.

Second Time NOSM’s Entire Graduating Class Matches to Residency Programs on First Attempt

Earlier this week, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) received notice that all undergraduate medical students in this year’s graduating class successfully matched to Canadian residency programs on their first attempt. This is the second time in over ten years that NOSM is the only Canadian medical school to have all students matched in the first round of matches of the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS).

Each student, in their final year at a Canadian medical school, must apply for residency training to become a fully-trained physician. Postgraduate residency programs are offered at all Canadian medical schools in various disciplines (for example, family medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, surgery, anesthesia, etcetera) ranging in duration from two to five years, or more. Students apply to the medical school and discipline of their choice, and are then granted interviews after which both the student and the program they have applied to rank each other for preference through CaRMS. CaRMS then matches students, based on rankings, to postgraduate residency programs across Canada.

Dr. Lisa Graves, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education believes the results of this year’s CaRMS match demonstrate, yet again, how highly our students are regarded across the country. “The successful first match of our students for the second time provides testament to the training and preparation they receive through the model of distributed, learning-centred, community-engaged medical education established at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. I congratulate the students on their achievement and wish them well as the move on to the next stage of becoming fully-trained physicians. ”

“I extend my hearty congratulations to each student in the graduating class of 2011 who have worked diligently to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience to become high-quality physicians prepared for practice in Northern Ontario, and beyond,” said Dr. Strasser, Dean of NOSM. “It is important that we also applaud the tireless efforts of our physicians, faculty, and staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine who have worked so hard to contribute to this success. With their support, we are working towards fulfilling the School’s vision – Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

Over 60% of this year’s graduating class has been matched to Family Medicine programs. Many of NOSM’s graduates will continue their education in Northern Ontario, to undertake their residency training in various NOSM postgraduate training programs. The remainder will represent NOSM across the country in residency programs at other medical schools, in some cases to gain specialized training not available in Northern Ontario. Specialties to which students matched include: plastic surgery, pediatrics, dermatology, anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, ophthalmology, emergency medicine, radiation oncology, orthopedics, psychiatry, and pathology.

Using a combination of video- and tele-conference connectivity across Northern Ontario, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held a regular meeting of the Board of Directors on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

Members of the Board approved the Financial Report for the period ending December 31, 2010, and a new member was appointed to the Board of Directors. Dr. Lori Livingston, Dean, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, was inducted into the Board comprised of 35 members from across Northern Ontario. Dr. Livingston was appointed by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

The Directors received reports from several Board Committees, including the Finance and Audit, Quality Monitoring, Executive, Governance, Nominating, and Advancement Committees.

The Directors also received reports from the School’s Academic Council, Aboriginal Reference Group, and Francophone Reference Group.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors is the Annual Board Retreat Meeting scheduled for May 12-14, 2011 in Sioux Lookout, Ontario.

For further information, please contact:

news@nosm.ca