NOSM to Host Francophone Symposium During Rendez-Vous 2012 in Thunder Bay

Francophone Health From Service Learning to Research: A Global to Regional Perspective

On October 10, 2012, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) will host its 4th NOSM Francophone Symposium as part of the Rendez-Vous 2012 International Conference in Thunder Bay, Ontario. This one-day symposium convenes stakeholders and conference registrants with an interest in Francophone Health.

Participants will examine current best practices and resulting impact of service, education, and research on the health status of Francophones in Northern Ontario and around the world.
Throughout this interactive day, conference participants will have the opportunity to engage in group work, individual conversations, and small group discussions. Participants have the opportunity to:

1. Discuss and identify elements and successful strategies to integrate community within the medical education framework in an effort to assist medical schools meet their social accountability mandate;

2. Identify mechanisms for the priorities oflinguistic and cultural minorities being connected to a medical school’s social accountability;

3. Discuss and identify the elements of collaboration between Francophone community partners and medical schools in the provision of opportunities for service learning;

4. Discuss how culture and language impact a population’s health status; and,

5. Identify partnership strategies from a regional, national, and international perspective for integrating health-care services and delivery within the context of the Francophone global community.

The symposium’s moderator is M. François Boileau, Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner and will feature presentations from well known medical educators and professionals such as Dr. Charles Boelen, Dr. André-Jacques Neusy, Dr. Paul Grand’Maison, Dr. Aurel Schofield, Andrée Robichaud, and France Jodoin.

For more information, or to register for NOSM’s 4th Francophone Symposium, please contact Lianne Baron, Administrative Assistant, Francophone Affairs at lbaron@nosm.ca or by telephone at 807-766-7507.

Participants should note that all presentations will be in French, with simultaneous interpretation to English available.