Our Job is to work together and build in the North
Thunder Bay – NEWS – The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is set for new challenges and growth.
“This is a historic occasion for our medical school and all of Northern Ontario,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of NOSM. “We are grateful to Minister Romano and the Ford Government for this incredible transformation, as the first medical school in Canada founded with a social accountability mandate we are now the first medical university of its kind in the country.”
This move, is “Fantastic News” says Dr. Verma.
NOSM will lead in many areas, adds Dr. Verma, including reconciliation, anti-racism, and expanding the scope of the school.
NOSM was established as a government strategy to address the health needs of the region, improve access to quality care, and contribute to the economic development of Northern Ontario. It was born of a grassroots movement, from communities across Northern Ontario advocating for a solution to regional health inequalities. Becoming a university translates that vision into a reality in the future.
Since opening its doors in 2005, NOSM has produced 714 MDs, 48 self -identif y as Indigenous, 151 self -identify as
Francophone with an additional 66 MDs set to graduate this spring. In addition, 579 residents have completed NOSM programs.
More than half of these health practitioners have stayed in Northern Ontario, with the majority
establishing their practice in Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
Dr. Verma says now is the time to continue to build, and this move will be
