NOSM University researchers and partners have been awarded a prestigious Alliance grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), valued at $1.5 million over five years.

The grant will fund several highly specialized projects. These include constructing a custom experimental chamber, designed specifically for studying the respiratory effects of low-level radon gas exposure. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in the air we breathe, and the biological effects of long-term low dose exposures remain unknown.

The NSERC Alliance grant will also continue to support research in the Life Sciences Laboratory at SNOLAB focused on genetic effects caused by the absence of radiation. Specialized equipment allows researchers to understand the role of natural radiation and cellular changes that can lead to cancer or cell death.

NOSM University research at SNOLAB is also currently funded by the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, and the combined research supports the understanding of life on earth and in outer space.

“NOSM University researchers are recognized as experts in the field of health effects of low-dose radiation from natural and human-made exposures,” says Dr. Christopher Thome, NOSM University Assistant Professor and principal investigator on the projects. “This grant will build on significant research accomplishments that have supported the training of numerous students and scientists over the past ten years.”

The research team consists of Dr. Thome as well as co-investigators Drs. Doug Boreham, Suji Tharmalingam, TC Tai, and Simon Lees, Australian collaborators Drs. Dani Dixon and Tony Hooker, students at Laurentian University, and partners at the Nuclear Innovation Institute, Bruce Power, and Cameco Corporation.

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NOSM University is Canada’s first independent medical university and one of the greatest education and physician workforce strategy success stories of Northern Ontario. More than just a medical university, it was purpose-built to address the health needs of the region. Through its distributed model, the university works alongside many underserved communities across the North, and contributes to the economic development of Northern Ontario. NOSM University relies on the commitment and expertise of the people of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and other underserved communities. With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, NOSM University is an award-winning, socially-accountable organization renowned for its innovative model of community-engaged education and research.

For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca.Laurentian University (Akinomaagegamik) serves over 8,000 students on its campus in Sudbury, Ontario, and is one of two bilingual universities in the province of Ontario. Committed to its bilingual, tri-cultural mandate, Laurentian University offers an outstanding university experience in English and French with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education.

For further information, please contact communications@laurentian.ca.

In the Spotlight, Indigenous Stories

Portraits honour the stories of Indigenous MD graduates

Thursday October 5th, 2023 Tara Hawkes

At NOSM University’s inaugural convocation ceremony on May 26, 2023, Dr. Ryan McConnell was one of two physicians presented with a striking portrait by Anishinaabe and Kanienkehaka artist, Elliott Doxtater-Wynn, a member of Bay of Quinte Mohawk who grew up in Six Nations of the Grand River. The portraits are large—four feet by three feet—and incorporate imagery from the graduates’ personal stories.

The artworks were part of the CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Award, which provided each learner with $20,000 and a professional development budget and supported them with networking resources during their fourth year of MD studies. These prestigious awards are presented to two self-identified Indigenous learners, one based at NOSM University in Thunder Bay and one in Sudbury.

“It was an honour to receive the CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Award and the portrait,” says Dr. McConnell, who, like Doxtater-Wynn, is a member of Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. “Although there was such a great sense of community growing up and so much support at home, I think a lot of Indigenous kids don’t see medicine as a pathway. When I was accepted into medical school, I felt honoured to be one of the students selected for the Indigenous stream. Being selected for the Indigenous Learner Leadership Award was icing on the cake and is something for which I’m very proud of and grateful.”

Artist Doxtater-Wynn also says that he felt “honoured” to be involved. He wanted the artworks to celebrate the graduates. “It’s a major accomplishment for an individual to become a doctor,” he says. “Thinking of the grandeur of what their accomplishment was, I wanted to create something that could be an heirloom, and something that would reflect their story when they go into their own practice. I felt that the best way to honour the students for their achievements was to do something on a large scale. The artworks are four times the size of what was originally planned.”

Doxtater-Wynn adds that the awards place value on high-calibre Indigenous contributions not only to medicine, but also to art. “An opportunity like this emphasizes the importance of Indigenous art and its inclusion. It also values Indigenous education, knowledge, and philosophy, which were central to developing the portraits. Indigenous contributions are viable contributions.”

With a background in Indigenous storytelling, Indigenous knowledge, and education, Doxtater-Wynn conducted interviews with both physicians prior to painting their portraits. The interviews gave the graduates opportunities to “speak from the heart and voice their stories,” he says. Doxtater-Wynn also researched and incorporated teachings specific to the graduates’ heritages; for Dr. McConnell, these included the History of Six Nations, Dish with One Spoon Wampum, Kanienkahaka, Tree of Peace, The Great Law, and The Eclipse and the 50 Chiefs.

Dr. McConnell says that he wasn’t initially aware that he would receive a portrait as part of the award. As soon as he found out, he looked up the artist’s website, and he’s been envisioning Doxtater-Wynn’s art on his wall ever since.

He finds the inclusion of his story to be meaningful: “For me, the most special part is the integration of my family. Along the bottom of the painting Elliott was able to integrate photos of my dad and I, my mom and I, and of my siblings. That personal touch was appreciated. There are also pieces of symbolism that represent my community. Elliott was able to integrate the hydro lines that are in our backyard and the shoreline of the Bay of Quinte. I talked about the community as something that was important to me, and I was so happy to see it incorporated.”

Now that he has graduated from NOSM University’s MD program, Dr. McConnell will complete a Family Medicine Residency at Queen’s University. The program has a rural focus, and he is excited to be based in Belleville, close to his family and community.

“Being an Indigenous physician is something I don’t take for granted. I hope I can be a role model for kids in my community and other Indigenous kids across Canada. I think more Indigenous representation in medicine is a good thing. I hope I can be part of a culture of change,” Dr. McConnell says.

The CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Award was established in 2021 to recognize fourth-year MD students who have demonstrated leadership qualities within the Indigenous community at NOSM University. It is part of a $150,000 donation from CIBC to promote and recognize Indigenous learner leadership and mentorship.

“CIBC aims to create a world without limits to ambition. Through CIBC Foundation, CIBC is advancing its commitment to supporting underserved communities and organizations that are helping to create greater economic inclusion for all. We’re proud to support NOSM University’s social accountability mandate with this award for Indigenous learners, faculty, and alumni in the North,” says Ronan Ryan, Executive Director, CIBC Foundation.

Dr. Tara Wilson from Constance Lake First Nation was also honoured with a portrait. Wilson and Doxtater-Wynn spoke with CBC Radio about the award and the artwork.

In Dr. Sarita Verma’s latest President’s Report, we turn our minds to the cornerstone of our work: Health Equity.
🔗 report.nosm.ca

Community Stories, In the Spotlight

Two Northern Ontario communities share successes with recruitment

Monday October 2nd, 2023 Tara Hawkes

Sault Ste. Marie and Sioux Lookout are great places to work—and the word is getting out

Dr. Mara Boyle didn’t originally think that her career would lead her to family medicine—or to Sioux Lookout. Plans changed when her third year of NOSM University’s MD program brought her to the small town, four hours north of her hometown of Thunder Bay.

“I didn’t really want to be a family physician when I arrived in Sioux Lookout in my third year. I thought that I was going to become a specialist,” Dr. Boyle explains. “One of the aspects of working in Sioux Lookout is that you practise a broad scope of family medicine. I found it difficult to think about putting myself into a specialty after my Comprehensive Community Clerkship. That’s been a big driver for my career: why I chose family medicine, and why I returned to Sioux Lookout, first for residency and then to practise.”

Dr. Boyle is not alone. Of the 11 physicians contracted at Sioux Lookout’s Hugh Allen Clinic, seven are former residents. Six physicians—more than half of the doctors at the clinic—completed a NOSM University residency in the community.

Hugh Allen Clinic Manager, Linda McNaughton, cites residents as the single greatest success story for local physician recruitment, and she points out the positive experiences that residents often have.

“I think our success can be attributed to the variety of roles and the opportunity to be flexible with scheduling and preferred medical practice. The work in the clinic is very well supported by experienced long-term support staff and seasoned mentors with over 30 years of experience. Being able to walk down the hall to get advice and share experiences is very rewarding,” McNaughton says.

These opportunities for mentorship and flexibility in practice are aspects that Dr. Boyle appreciates. For instance, she valued an opportunity to be mentored by the obstetrics team, and then to join their practice.

“One of the special things about Sioux Lookout—and it is immediately apparent—is that the physicians really are a community,” she says. “Everyone holds each other up. The very strong collegial environment was a huge draw, and it made a big difference in my transition from residency to practice. If I needed help in the middle of the night, I always knew there was someone who would pick up the phone.”

This strong sense of community extends beyond work. Dr. Boyle notes that her personal and professional lives have merged: the physicians get together regularly, and their children have become friends. “It’s a very vibrant physician community,” she says.

Like Dr. Boyle, Dr. Allison Webb in Sault Ste. Marie is a family physician whose practice includes obstetrics. Dr. Webb, too, is a NOSM University alumna who completed both her Comprehensive Community Clerkship and her residency in the community where she now lives.

“During my Comprehensive Community Clerkship, my first impression was that—professionally—Sault Ste. Marie was very supportive to work in,” Dr. Webb says. “Students were treated like real people, our time was respected, and everyone appreciated that we were there to learn. The staff were happy, and everyone I talked to liked working here. It seemed like a good place to practise, with lots of collegial support. I had a very positive experience.”

“In that year, I played in a curling league, golfed, and skied. It gave me that community experience I wanted to have. I found a lot to do in the community and was able to have a fun, fulfilling life outside of medicine,” she continues.

Although Dr. Webb met her husband in Sault Ste. Marie, it wasn’t a given that they would stay there. She says that she chose Sault Ste. Marie for her residency and career because she felt supported to work, learn, and grow in her practice, and because the city had a lot to offer.

Personal and professional lives are both major factors in where physicians decide to live and work, according to Carrie Stewart, Manager of Physician Recruitment and Retention at Sault Area Hospital. Local recruitment efforts are led by a recruitment and retention committee and are based on a tri-party agreement funded by the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Area Hospital, and the Group Health Centre.

“Actions that the city takes—such as developing downtown, events, music, and restaurants, mountain bike trail expansion—all help bring doctors to Sault Ste. Marie. Our coordinated city-wide effort allows us to showcase our whole community, different practice options, and how our community is supportive and welcoming,” Stewart says.

Stewart’s job involves keeping connections to those completing medical education from Sault Ste. Marie as well as attracting physicians from across Ontario, nationally and even internationally. Prospective physicians’ community visits are individually tailored based on professional as well as community needs. Visits often include options for spousal employment, schools, daycare, recreational activities, and personal interests of the entire family.

“If I had to say there’s a secret sauce to recruitment, it’s open and honest communication with physicians,” she says. “It’s a long process of building connections to make sure the entire family is supported. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

In fact, some of the community’s greatest success comes from a placement very early in medical school, years before learners start their residency or practice: the NOSM University Summer Studentship Program. This program is often students’ first clinical experience and is open to first- and second-year medical students, as well as learners studying in a wide variety of medical fields, including nursing, rehabilitation studies, medical radiation, lab technicians, dieticians, midwifery, and respiratory therapists. For medical students in Sault Ste. Marie, it aims to offer diverse learning, including clinical exposure in both hospital and community placements such as emergency room and ambulance ride-alongs.

And it’s working. Stewart says learners placed in the city often come back to Sault Ste. Marie again and again for medical rotations. Over the last 20 years, 202 physicians have been recruited to the community. Impressively, 23% have completed NOSM University’s Summer Studentship Program.

A host of other options, including clerkships, electives, residency spots, and core rotations, also bring medical learners to the community. These options are central to recruitment, Stewart says. Over half of the 202 physicians recruited completed training in Sault Ste. Marie as part of a medical rotation.

“Even if medical learners are from the area, it doesn’t mean they are familiar with the medical community,” Stewart points out. “We aim for our learners to feel immersed.”

Still, physician recruitment and retention remain a challenge in Northern Ontario.

“The challenges for recruitment are now so great that it is all hands on deck,” says McNaughton. She points out that, while the Sioux Lookout Regional Physicians Services Inc. is the regional lead on recruitment, the Hugh Allen Clinic does much of its own recruiting. The Municipality of Sioux Lookout also plays a role, and the community is currently establishing a recruitment and retention committee.

Dr. Boyle agrees that recruitment is a challenge and says that it was largely local physicians who recruited her to Sioux Lookout. “Doctors end up taking on a recruiting role and chatting with residents and friends,” she says. “Everyone has such a varied practice, and there was lots of assistance in helping me envision what I wanted my practice to be.”

While challenges remain, both communities have made significant strides towards physician recruitment, due in large part to the positive experiences had by medical learners.

“To do this alone would be very difficult. I’d suggest going with a community-wide effort and building that relationship with NOSM University and bringing as many learners as you can. Create that warm welcome within the medical community and that will be your best marketing. They will be back, and they’ll spread the word,” says Stewart.

In Dr. Sarita Verma’s latest President’s Report, we turn our minds to the cornerstone of our work: Health Equity.
🔗 report.nosm.ca