NOSM Receives International Award for Excellence in Communications

On Monday, June 15, 2015, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) was honoured to receive an international award for excellence in communications. The prestigious Gold Quill Award of Excellence was received from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) as part of IABC’s annual World Conference in San Francisco.

NOSM’s Communications Unit received the Gold Quill Award of Merit for the School’s communication campaign Give the Gift of Appreciation: NOSM’s Staff Awards of Excellence. This honour was awarded in the category for Internal Special Events in the Communications Skills division, and recognized the communications strategy employed to improve upon the School’s existing staff recognition program. Launched close to the holiday season, the campaign encouraged employees to nominate their colleagues for a recognition award to give them the gift of appreciation for the exceptional work they do each and every day.

“The success NOSM’s Awards of Excellence program is the result of a collaborative effort of NOSM’s communications team, human resources, and staff who have volunteered their time and expertise to celebrate the successes of their colleagues,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “The School’s Awards of Excellence program celebrates the achievements of NOSM staff members and pays tribute to the important work of all NOSM staff in the pursuit of the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

Gold Quill evaluators said NOSM’s Awards of Excellence program showed very good use of resources-particularly money, time, and effort. “Congratulations on using in-house resources,” the feedback from the IABC Gold Quill evaluators stated. The theme and look struck the reviewers as highly appropriate and well positioned for an awards program within a university environment.

The IABC 2015 Gold Quill Awards program recognizes business communication excellence globally, and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry.