Donor supports transformation of physician workforce planning in Northern Ontario

Derek Day recently donated $210,000 from his late mother’s estate—the Estate of Ruth Day—to assist in transforming physician workforce planning in Northern Ontario and support the creation of a new Rural Generalist Pathway (RGP) at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM).

Since NOSM’s inception in 2002, its objective has been to graduate physicians and health-care professionals to meet the health needs across the region. With a total of 714 NOSM MD graduates to date, there is still a need for 300 family physicians and specialists in rural and remote Northern communities.

“It is important to me that I contribute from my mother’s estate to support organizations that will make a maximum impact,” says Derek Day. “There is a significant and immediate need for rural communities to gain access to quality health care more equitably and it is a critical time to implement long-term sustainable solutions. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is doing great work in this area and has a clear vision on how to get there.”

Derek has been a long-time supporter of NOSM. Since 2012, he has gifted more than $570,000 in trust through the estate. The funds have supported NOSM’s simulation labs and have established the Dr. William Bond Memorial Scholarship for medical students.

Medicine is personal to Derek’s family. His grandfather, Dr. William Lincoln Bond (born in 1865), was a physician in Toronto and made house calls into the rural exterior of Toronto. At the age of 12, William lost his father to typhoid. Later, he borrowed money from his mother to study medicine. He recalls his mother’s stories about how his grandfather kept a barn with a horse and wagon that he used to make house calls in bad weather. “At that time, it was the only practical way to get around,” Derek says.

With a new era of medicine evolving, Derek says he feels a great deal of satisfaction about contributing to society, knowing his gift means another student in Northern Ontario will gain access to medical school through the Rural Generalist Pathway.

The School recently launched its new strategic plan, The NOSM Challenge 2025.

Please consider joining The Challenge and donors like Derek Day who are making a difference in transforming health care in Northern Ontario. To make a difference, make your gift at nosm.ca/give.