10th Annual Northern Constellations focuses on physician wellness and recognizes outstanding NOSM faculty

Faculty at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) came together to share, network and celebrate its pan-Northern community at Northern Constellations. This was the School’s 10^thannual Northern Constellations faculty development conference held Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1, 2021.

With close to 1,800 faculty distributed across 800,000 km² in more than 90 communities, Northern Constellations was developed in 2012 as a way to unite the School’s dispersed faculty who are critical to the delivery of medical education at NOSM. This year’s agenda explored the topic of physician burnout and the need for wider organizational culture change in medicine.

“We deeply value faculty and recognize the weight of their workloads,” says Dr. James Goertzen, NOSM’s Associate Dean, Continuing Education and Professional Development and Thunder Bay family physician. “The conference provides an opportunity to support one another, enrich our own development and explore new ways to address systemic issues, like burnout, as a community.”

Plenary guest speaker, Dr. Jillian Horton spoke about strategies in support of recognizing burnout in health-care professionals. As a general internist, medical academic, author, and former Associate Dean at University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine, Dr. Horton highlighted practical approaches including advocating for organizational change, mindfulness, personal narrative and influencing culture change to “take care of ourselves.”

Other workshops and discussions held during the two-day conference included: medical art, the rural generalist pathway to medicine, learning how to write impactful op-eds for advocacy; supporting medical learner wellness; developing physician competencies for Northern Ontario, and learning from a project promoting healthy lifestyle habits among Indigenous youth through Innu Meshkenu or “the Innu way.”

At a virtual celebration Friday evening, NOSM presented Awards of Education and Scholarship to individual faculty members who enhance the quality of medical education and research. Dr. Zacharias Suntres, a NOSM Assistant Dean and Chair of the Student Assessment and Promotions Committee was the recipient of the Academic Leader Award. Dr. Radu Alexandru Moise, a NOSM faculty member researching the roles of nutrition in health and disease, received the Scholar Award. Dr. Chi Cheng, a leader in developing educational standards in the NOSM Psychiatry Program received the Clinical Scholar Award. Donna Newhouse, a medical educator who led the development of the NOSM anatomy labs, received the Medical Educator Award.

NOSM announced the bestowment of the title Associate Professor Honorarius to: Dr. Lois Hutchison, a psychiatry clinician, teacher and mentor; Dr. Janice Willett, a practising gynaecologist for over 25 years in Sault Ste. Marie and former NOSM Associate Dean; and, Dr. Malcolm Wilson, an active clinician, mentor, and teacher to residents and faculty in the North.

In NOSM’s strategic plan, The NOSM Challenge 2025, the School identifies several strategic enablers that align with the focus at Northern Constellations including; building a culture of continuous learning and mentorship by develop programs for professional development across all stage of careers; preparing teachers and support faculty and students in academic career progression to become leaders and change agents; and building a culture with a focus on wellness and work-life balance and inclusive learning and working environments.

Photo: Dr. Sarita Verma, NOSM Dean, President and CEO with Dr. James Goertzen,
NOSM’s Associate Dean, Continuing Education and Professional Development at
The NOSM Faculty Celebration and Awards in 2019.

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The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities.

For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca

Associate Professor Honorarius

Dr. Lois Hutchinson, Thunder Bay

Dr. Hutchinson completed a residency in Family Medicine initially at Queen’s University before completing residency at the University of Toronto. Before moving home to Thunder Bay in 1983, she completed a second residency in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto where she became an MRC Fellow at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry. Dr. Hutchinson was a busy clinician working in all aspects of psychiatry, including outpatient psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and addictions. She was a scholar with numerous publications in the field of psychiatry and an inspiring teacher and mentor, training many students and residents from 2009 to 2020 in her role as an Associate Professor. She was also very involved in the leadership of many local, provincial and national medical and psychiatric organizations. Her work has been recognized by the Northwestern Ontario Mental Health Network and the Ontario Medical Association, where she achieved life membership in 2016. Internationally recognized, Dr. Hutchinson has helped in the recruitment of the majority of psychiatrists who currently work in Thunder Bay.

Dr. Janice Willett, Sault Ste. Marie

Dr. Willett completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology with the University of Western Ontario. She was a practicing gynaecologist for more than 25 years in Sault Ste. Marie, in affiliation with the Sault Area Hospital. She was also the Medical Director of the Maternal Child Program and Surgery Program, and served on the Sault Area Hospital Foundation Board. Her time with NOSM was as Associate Professor; Head of the Clinical Sciences Division; Chair of Academic Council; and, Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs and Continuing Education and Professional Development. She was also an active member of NOSM’s Executive Group. Her commitment to leadership is commendable. She was the Ontario Regional Chair for the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; President of the Ontario Medical Association; Chair of the Canadian Medical Association Committee on Education and Professional Development, Chair of the Canadian Resident Matching Service; and Chair for the AFMC CPD Deans’ Committee. Dr. Willett is a respected mentor and an accomplished leader in medicine.

Dr. Malcolm Wilson, Huntsville

Dr. Malcolm Wilson was an actively engaged clinician, mentor, and teacher to residents and faculty in the North. He is an MD graduate of Queen’s University with more than 30 years of dedicated service to Internal Medicine and the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital. His passion also extended to teaching. Dr. Wilson was Site Coordinator of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Internal Medicine Post-Graduate Training Program in Huntsville, and Academic & Evaluation Coordinator for the Internal Medicine Post-Graduate Residency Training Program. Dr. Wilson also applied his leadership skills to the roles of Medical Advisor to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program of the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital; and Co-chair for the Antibiotic Advisory Committee of the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.

Awards of Education and Scholarship Recipients

Clinical Scholar Award
Dr. Chiachen Cheng, Thunder Bay

Dr. Cheng is a highly respected teacher, and a leader in developing educational standards in the NOSM Psychiatry Program. Dr. Cheng leads numerous grants and now inspires a generation of young researchers by exemplifying how to conduct successful research in the North. Dr. Cheng has been the most successful Psychiatry Section Faculty for large grants by competitive agencies such as CIHR, Ontario Trillium, and Sick Kids Foundation. These successes have occurred while stepping into the Site Director role for Post-graduate training, maintaining a robust clinical practice, and being the Post-graduate Director for Research. Dr. Cheng has exemplified the tenacity that a clinician with a passion for research requires to succeed in the North. She has engaged deeply with many aspects across her role as a teacher, clinician, researcher, and leader.

Scholar Award
Dr. Radu Alexandru Moise, Sudbury

Dr. Moise is one of NOSM’s most successful and productive researchers. He has a strong publication record in high impact journals such as JBC and FASEB Journal. He is highly successful in securing highly competitive peer-reviewed national and international research grant funding, currently holding an NSERC Discovery Grant and an Operating Grant from the National Institutes of Health from the USA. In addition, Dr. Moise is a member a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the American Association for Anatomy (AAA), and the Awards Committee of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (BDRP); and serves on grant review panels for the New Frontiers in Research Funds, NSERC, CIHR and the NIH. Dr. Moise has made many outstanding contributions in all major areas of academic service and is highly deserving of this award addressing his achievements.

Medical Educator Award
Donna Newhouse, Thunder Bay

Newhouse is leader and visionary that has developed the anatomy and labs for the entire undergraduate medical education program at NOSM. She has led the Lab Committee since the beginning and has worked with countless faculty to continuously revise and improve our curriculum by maintaining strong connections to other anatomy programs in Ontario ensuring that she brings the best ideas to NOSM. Newhouse is a positive role model to both faculty and medical students. She demonstrates a strong work ethic and a genuine enthusiasm for teaching and learning. Perhaps one of the greatest qualities of a medical educator is the desire to continue to learn. She has demonstrated over the years that she wants to continue to learn herself and she brings this learning to curriculum development at NOSM.

Academic Leader Award
Dr. Zacharias Suntres, Thunder Bay

Dr. Suntres holds leadership roles in Education, Research and Academic Governance at NOSM and fosters a cooperative and collaborative environment in all three pillars of academia. In Education, Dr. Suntres currently holds the position of Assistant Dean Phase 1 (pre-clerkship phase), and Chair of the Student Assessment and Promotion Committee providing leadership and mentorship to both students and faculty. In research, Dr. Suntres maintains a well-funded research program collaborating with NOSM faculty and colleagues from around the world. In governance, Dr. Suntres collaborates with several curriculum working groups, faculty, administrators, and community leaders to develop, implement, and evaluate the UME curriculum for Years 1 and 2. His dedication goes above and beyond what is required, demonstrating a true commitment to the success of NOSM, students, and faculty.