NOSM Board Holds Face-to-Face Meeting in Thunder Bay

Highlights include a Tour of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s (NOSM) Board of Directors held its annual face-to-face meeting in Thunder Bay on November 30 and December 1, 2017. This two-day meeting provided a valuable opportunity for Board members to contribute their expertise and experience to a variety of meaningful conversations related to NOSM’s strategic priorities, including:

• The financial state of the School, sustaining NOSM’s success, and revenue generation.
• “Enshrining NOSM in the system,” as the School is more than just a medical school—it’s a government strategy in Northern Ontario focused on health and economic development.
• Connecting the entire geography of Northern Ontario as the NOSM campus involves over 90 communities engaged in teaching medical students, residents, and other health professional learners.
• A discussion NOSM’s research portfolio, which conducts and supports health research in Northern Ontario.
• An evaluation of NOSM’s current communications and public relations activities to evaluate how the School can optimize its strategies, as well as the internal capacity to support the recommendations.
• The governance and leadership model of the School, and habits of a highly effective Board.

• NOSM’s Postgraduate Education Office, which is responsible for the provision, administration and support of all postgraduate residency training programs in Northern Ontario.
• The accredited Medical Physics Residency Education Program which trains medical physicists—health-care professionals with specialized training in the medical applications of physics.

• The ways in which NOSM collaborates with its two academic health sciences centres, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre in Thunder Bay and Health Sciences North in Sudbury.

NOSM Board members toured the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI) and the Cyclotron. A highly valued partner with the School, the TBRHRI is the research arm of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and facilitates clinical research—particularly in the area of imaging—based on regional health care needs.

The Board received copies of two recent NOSM publications: The Scope, the School’s research newsletter, and the Pathways to Well-Being Report. Pathways to Well-Being was a one-day workshop hosted on June 28, 2017 by NOSM’s Indigenous Affairs Unit and Research Portfolio on the traditional territory of the Fort William First Nation. Bringing together youth, Elders, community leaders, and government representatives the Workshop focused on strategies to promote life and life skills, and identify strengths of communities to address the crisis of youth suicide.

At the formal Board meeting at the end of the second day, the Board approved Financial Statements from the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee for the period ending October 31, 2017.

“The NOSM Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of individuals from across Northern Ontario,” says Dr. Moira McPherson, Chair of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Board of Directors and Vice President, Academic and Provost at Lakehead University. “It has been a pleasure to welcome my fellow Board members to our community and work together to further support the School’s continual pursuit of a healthier North.”

NOSM’s Board of Directors is comprised of 19 members who reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of Northern Ontario, including Indigenous, Francophone, and rural and remote communities. It is responsible for the corporate governance and fiscal management of the School. Membership of the Board of Directors is drawn widely to achieve the balance of skills and expertise required to enable the Board to fulfil its governance responsibilities. For a complete list of Board members, please visit our website at nosm.ca/board.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled to occur on March 21, 2018.