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Launch of NORTHH—Northern Ontario’s first primary health-care database and network

A team at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is building Northern Ontario’s first primary-care health research database. Using de-identified electronic medical record data, community and population data from Northern Ontario will be made available to Northern primary-care researchers, clinicians and organisations. The data will be used to help identify the prevalent health concerns and make improvements in care.

The project is being coordinated by NORTHH, NOSM’s Research Toward Health Hub, housed within the School’s new Centre for Social Accountability. A combined total of over $223,000 in funding was received to support NORTHH including contributions from the Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association Alternate Funding Plan, Inspire Primary Health Care, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

NORTHH is the first practice-based learning and research network to offer unique Northern Ontario health primary-care, population-based datasets. It will also prioritize Indigenous data sovereignty.

“The goal is to ensure Indigenous data sovereignty principles are upheld in partnership with communities, and to increase inclusive, equitable primary care research capacity at NOSM,” says Dr. Barb Zelek, founder of NORTHH, NOSM’s Division Head of Clinical Sciences, and rural generalist family physician practising in Marathon.

“For Northern doctors and primary-care researchers, it means accessing a Northern primary care database to help answer your clinical and research questions and an opportunity to do applicable Northern-focused research to improve health outcomes in the North,” says Dr. Zelek.

Doctors and primary-care providers are encouraged to join the NORTHH network to both contribute to and access the database to support their own practices in Northern Ontario.

“NORTHH’s database will be valuable to doctors and researchers because communities experience different health issues that vary widely from place to place. This research will help doctors and primary-care providers make informed decisions to improve care for the people they serve,” says Dr. Erin Cameron, Director of the NOSM Centre for Social Accountability.

“At NOSM, we will also be able to inform medical education by using the data to know what health conditions patients are presenting with in primary care and to better prepare our medical students to identify and treat those conditions,” says Dr. Zelek.

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About the NOSM Centre for Social Accountability 
The Centre for Social Accountability (C4SA) is the first of its kind in Canada. It is a model for multidisciplinary, community-led, and community-prioritised health and public health multidisciplinary research. The NOSM C4SA is advancing social accountability research globally and locally by working and collaborating with diverse stakeholders in the broad areas of health professional education, health system transformation, health human resources, social and population health, and social determinants of health. The Centre is home to two research networks, NORTHH and MERLIN, which focus on building capacity and providing tools for change.

About the Northern Ontario School of Medicine 
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities. NOSM’s graduates, faculty, learners and staff are changemakers who lead health-system transformation in Northern Ontario. The School is a recipient of the Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the prestigious ASPIRE award, which recognize international excellence in social accountability and medical education.

For further information, please contact: communication@nosm.ca

 


Photo: Dr. Barb Zelek, founder of NORTHH, NOSM’s Division Head of Clinical Sciences, and a rural generalist family physician practising in Marathon.

NORTHH information session coming up:
Join a presentation about the NORTHH Network: A learning health system for Northern Ontario
November 16 at 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Add to Google Calendar

Presented by Dr. Brianne Wood, Director of NOSM Research Toward Health Hub (NORTHH) and Associate Scientist in Social Accountability and Learning Health Systems. Join the conversation! Come talk about practice-based and clinical research, quality improvement, implementation science, learning health systems, evaluation and impact measurement in Northern Ontario.

Get involved in monthly journal clubs, peer review groups, seminars and presentations, interactive workshops, and more. Contact northh@nosm.ca for more details.

Francophone Features, In the Spotlight

NOSM student from Timmins aspires to be a hometown doctor

Sébastien Labelle is a second year Francophone medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). He holds an undergraduate degree in biomedical science from the University of Ottawa, where he studied solely in French.

“I was a little nervous about coming to NOSM to study in English for the first time, but I have been very well supported here,” Sébastien says. “The Francophone Affairs team at NOSM, specifically Danielle Barbeau-Rodrigue and Laïla Faivre, have been a great support and have ensured I can secure placements in French.”

Sébastien says he is inspired by his family—his uncle, who is a surgeon in Timmins, and his family members who travel out of town for care, many of whom face challenges receiving care in English.

Although the curriculum is taught in English, Sébastien says that he speaks entirely in French with his Francophone classmates while in Thunder Bay. He welcomes the opportunities to access French sessions, which include medical terminology and learning how to take a patient history in French. Sébastien has also been pleasantly surprised by those interested in learning more about care in the French language.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of Anglophone students ask to sit in and observe how we interview and take a patient’s history in French.” He appreciates his classmate’s genuine interest in the Franco-Ontarian dialect, medical terminology and Active Offer.

Sébastien is currently part of a research team that will be interviewing Francophone NOSM graduates to determine how participating in the French-language opportunities shaped their learning experiences, student identity, and career decisions. Sébastien is hoping that upon completion of the project, concrete recommendations will be made to improve the School’s Francophone curriculum.

“Although I was worried about studying in English for the first time in my life, I chose NOSM because I knew I wanted to practice in Northern Ontario and I knew I would have opportunities to practise my French throughout the MD program,” says Sébastien. “As a Francophone, I have a voice at NOSM.”

This past summer, Sébastien completed a placement in Timmins—his hometown.  “I really hope to continue to spend time with Francophone physicians. I appreciate how NOSM places emphasis on Indigenous and Francophone health issues. It is inspiring to see NOSM alumni return to their communities, like Dr. Shyanne Fournier,” says Sébastien. Dr. Fournier is a recent Francophone graduate of NOSM’s MD Class of 2021, who started her residency in Family Medicine in Hearst in July.

“Many Francophone patients do not have a family doctor, let alone one that is able to speak their language. I want to be part of the solution,” says Sébastien. “I know a few people who are applying to NOSM through the Francophone Admissions Stream. I know they will feel very supported at NOSM, just as I have from day one. I feel at home here.”

Sébastien says his goal has always been to return to Timmins. He plans to practise medicine and deliver care in French as much as possible.

 

 

 

In the Spotlight, Indigenous Stories

Métis student helps develop the Indigenous Medical Students’ Association of Canada

Jamie Thompson, a second year Métis medical student from Manitouwadge and Ignace, is an inaugural member of the newly formed Indigenous Medical Students’ Association of Canada.

“I was asked to help with the initial development of the association alongside the founding medical students, Jesse LaFontaine from University of British Columbia and Jayelle Friesen-Enns from the University of Manitoba,” says Jamie. “We have been working on hosting talks about how elections would run, what leadership would look like, and the roles that are required to get it up and running.”

Elections for the new board took place on the heels of the announcement that Santanna Hernandez was elected the first Indigenous Medical Student to be elected President of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, representing over 8,000 medical students across Canada.

Jamie is helping with social media, the IMSAC brand and has participated in discussions about plans for the new governing council circle to be formed this fall.

“I’ve applied for the advocacy role in the upcoming year. If I’m elected, I will be excited for the new leadership circle to be formed and come into fruition,” says Jamie. “Right now, we’re a skeleton team working on procuring funding and seeking advice from Elders on how to create the council and choose an Indigenous name.”

Once the governing council is formed, they plan to create a vision and adopt a constitution. Jamie is looking forward to the different advocacy opportunities and learning about the issues that are important to Indigenous medical students across the country.

“It’s definitely a passion. Advocacy is something I do throughout the year and this is an even bigger platform. I’m encouraging other Indigenous medical students from NOSM to become members and apply and/or participate in nominations,” says Jamie. “I’m hoping to see NOSM students in some of the other roles at the Indigenous Medical Students Association of Canada both this year and in the coming years.”

Jamie says the structure of the Association will be based on principles of Indigenous governance. “It was very fulfilling to have a conversation with fellow Indigenous medical students and talk about how we didn’t want it to be a hierarchical board. We envision all leadership positions sitting in a circle. Surrounding the inner circle are those overseeing the leadership, including the support of co-chairs, past presidents and honorary physician members. It’s exciting to design a way we can work together, in circle.”

To learn more about the Indigenous Medical Students’ Association of Canada, please visit imsac.ca or follow them on Instagram and Twitter @imsacindigenous.

NOSM University