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Two NOSM students receive CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Award

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$47,500 awarded for demonstrating leadership and mentorship within school and community.

Mélanie-Rose Frappier and Alison Lewis, both fourth-year medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), are the inaugural recipients of newly established CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Awards. The awards recognize self-identified Indigenous learners at NOSM who demonstrate exceptional leadership and mentorship within the School and community.

“Mélanie-Rose and Alison are fantastic leaders with a strong commitment to promoting access to health care, Indigenous culture, anti-racism, equity and inclusion,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of NOSM. “They are compassionate individuals who have made a real difference and will continue to do so as future physicians in Northern Ontario.”

Each student will receive the prestigious award of $20,000 and a professional development budget of $3,750 and are supported with networking resources. The students will become active members of the Indigenous Reference Group and the Indigenous Health Education Committee at NOSM during the fourth year of their MD program. As student members, they provide insight and actionable items to support future Indigenous health learners at NOSM and in Northern Ontario.

Social accountability is a core value at NOSM and is instilled in students and learners throughout their educational experience. Both award recipients expressed gratitude and their personal commitment to advancing social accountability in health care.

“Thank you for this award. I am truly honoured,” says Mélanie-Rose Frappier, who also holds an undergraduate degree in Indigenous Studies. “Health and culture are my passions, and I plan to include both Western and Indigenous ways of thinking and healing in my future practice. I truly believe that in order to heal we must focus on all aspects of health including the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.”

“As a future Indigenous family physician in Northern Ontario, I have an important advocacy role in Indigenous health leadership. I intend to continue to support Indigenous students, advocate for changes that improve health disparities, and foster culturally safe environments for all Indigenous patients,” says Alison Lewis. “Thank you for this incredible opportunity.”

NOSM received a donation from CIBC in May 2020 to establish this new initiative designed to promote and recognize Indigenous learner leadership and mentorship. These awards will also improve learning and networking opportunities available to recipients.

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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.

On June 3, 2021, the Government of Ontario passed legislation to make NOSM the first stand-alone medical university in Canada.

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

 

Student Biographies

Mélanie-Rose Frappier
Third-Year Medical Student, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM Class of 2022)

Mélanie-Rose Frappier is from Sudbury and identifies as Métis and Francophone. She graduated from Laurentian University in 2018 with an undergraduate degree in Indigenous Studies. At age 16 she created her own non-profit organization called C’est Cool d’être en Santé, with the goal of educating youth about the importance of physical activity and created a declaration focusing on the educational inequalities facing Indigenous youth. She is the founder of several NOSM interest groups, including the Indigenous Cultural Activities Interest Group, the Self-Accountability Group, and is co-president of the Anti-Racism Book Club. Mélanie-Rose plans to practise family medicine in Indigenous and Francophone communities in Northern Ontario.

 

Alison Lewis
Third Year Medical Student, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM Class of 2022)

Alison Lewis, a Métis NOSM medical student, was born in Sioux Lookout and grew up in Manitoba. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry, and completed her thesis in organic chemistry. She spent her third year of medical school in Sioux Lookout where she worked with Indigenous patients and in several Northern fly-in communities. Alison plans to work as a family physician in Northern Ontario.

In the Spotlight, Uncategorized

Taking pride in pronouns

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Understanding and recognizing gender identities is important to delivering inclusive, patient-centered health care. Often, pronouns have a gender implied which are not always accurate or needed. Understanding how to correctly use and share one’s pronouns is a sign of safety and respect.

Unfortunately, often people aren’t aware of how to do this. That’s why Lucie Ménard and Ashley Perreault decided to take action.

Lucie, a second-year NOSM medical student in Sudbury, and Ashley, a first-year NOSM medical student in Thunder Bay, are both the Local Officers of Reproductive and Sexual Health (LORSH) for NOSM, and sit on a national committee with LORSH representatives from 13 medical schools across Canada. During a meeting, the group identified the misuse of pronouns as an important issue nationwide.

“After our meeting, we consulted with fellow medical students, colleagues, and friends from the Queer community about their experiences with pronoun misuse. What we learned is that individuals feel a sense of security when asked or addressed by their preferred pronouns. Hearing this, we wanted to normalize pronoun use and create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive for all gender identities,” says Ashley.

An eye-catching solution was proposed—a wearable pronoun pin. The students collaborated with community members and the NOSM Library and Communications teams to create the pins and develop a complete initiative for distribution. The pins can be attached to a lanyard, lab coat or clothing to highlight an individual’s preferred pronoun. The pins also spark conversation about the importance of pronouns.

“Proper pronoun use was something we as medical students were all aware of, but we didn’t receive formal education on this topic. As LORSHs we decided to take this initiative as an opportunity to educate ourselves and our NOSM community on pronoun use through an infographic and a subject guide” says Lucie.

Recognizing that an infographic wouldn’t be sufficient to close the knowledge gap, they built a subject guide available through the NOSM Library. The subject guide was developed by Jennifer Dumond, Danica Desjardins, Aidan Goertzen and LORSH. It highlights evidence-based research and resources regarding Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and other gender-fluid communities (​2SLGBTQ+).

The uptake was high. “The response has been very positive. The library subject guide has had over 470 views so far and individuals have been thanking us for this one-stop-shop for educational resources and for starting the conversation. Over 240 people from NOSM signed up to receive a pronoun pin, including learners, staff, faculty and residents,” says Lucie.

NOSM partners, health-care centres, hospitals and medical schools across the country have also taken notice. Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury reached out and are working with Ashley and Lucie to launch a pronoun pin initiative at the hospital during Pride week. Two other medical schools have asked for guidance to create something similar at their school.

“Allyship means taking action and we hope to inspire other students to work on the projects they’re passionate about,” says Ashley. “I hope we inspire students to collaborate with other departments and staff at NOSM who have allowed us to make this initiative a reality. We couldn’t have done this alone.”

Lucie also encourages everyone at NOSM to reflect on their surroundings and what health inequities are occurring in their community. “As medical students, we don’t have a lot of free time, but we chose to advocate for something that we’re passionate about.”

NOSM is making pronoun pins part of the orientation package for new medical students. “We’re hoping this will become part of the standard,” says Ashley. “It is important for the incoming students to recognize that NOSM is an inclusive community. As future health-care professionals, we hope the pins will also spark the conversation regarding inclusivity early on in their career.”

Want to learn more?

Respect the Difference logoThe Respect the Difference movement was developed by NOSM to bring awareness to a culture of kindness and respect in the learning and work environment. We hope that together, we can ignite a positive cultural change that is grounded in respect and reaches beyond the NOSM community. We encourage all Canadian medical schools and the medical sector to join our movement.

We all have the potential to be changemakers, and we have the mutual responsibility to take action toward a culture of kindness, respect and compassion. It starts here at NOSM. It starts with you.

Become a Changemaker.

Homepage News, Indigenous Stories, News

NOSM Celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day

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June 21, 2021 marks the 25th annual National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day when we celebrate the diverse culture, the rich history and the wondrousness of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples—our colleagues, friends and family. This date was chosen for many reasons, including its cultural significance as the summer solstice, and the fact that it is a day on which many Indigenous peoples and communities across the region traditionally celebrate their heritage.

Today is an important day for all Canadians to observe. Participate in Indigenous cultural celebrations and be open to listening and learning about the history, culture and perspectives of Indigenous communities across the North.

We must also pay heed to the legacy of missing and murdered women and children, residential schools—particularly with the recent discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on the lands of the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation in British Columbia and now more in Manitoba and Saskatchewan—and to lost children of the Sixties Scoop. There continues to be unacceptable living conditions, water and food insecurity, and the spread of the pandemic in vulnerable communities. Please take the time to reflect on systemic racism while also embracing Indigeneity as an inherent integral part of being Canadian.

Today, let’s collectively honour the contributions of Indigenous Peoples, while recognizing their sustained resiliency in the face of systemic racism and colonization.