Canada’s First Stand-Alone Medical University

On June 3, 2021, the Government of Ontario passed legislation to make the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) a university. With this status, NOSM becomes the first stand-alone medical university in Canada.

NOSM was established as a government strategy to address the health needs of the region, improve access to quality care, and contribute to the economic development of Northern Ontario. It was born of a grassroots movement, from communities across Northern Ontario advocating for a solution to regional health inequalities. Becoming a university translates that vision into a reality in the future.

Read the announcement: NOSM to Become First Stand-alone Medical University in Canada.

In the News

March 2022

October 2021

Updates

March 8, 2022

It’s official! NOSM University is Canada’s first independent medical university

With the final dash of a pen at Queen’s Park in Toronto, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has become the first independent medical university in Canada: NOSM University.

This is a profound and historic moment for the NOSM community. I will take this opportunity to reiterate our gratitude to Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities and the Ford government for this incredible commitment to health education in the North and our renewed focus on health equity across our vast region.

NOSM has blazed trails since its establishment in 2002. The unique, distributed, community-engaged learning model has grown into something extraordinary. This model requires strong ties with remote, rural, Indigenous and Francophone communities. NOSM University will continue its partnerships with more than 500 organizations, in 90+ communities, and more than 1,800 faculty across all of Northern Ontario.

NOSM University is our new, purpose-built path.

Friday, August 6, 2021

On June 3, 2021, the Government of Ontario passed the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University Act, 2021 (the “Act”) to enable the establishment of the NOSM University. In order to proceed as a “university” (i.e., to register students, collect tuition fees, confer degrees, etc.), several regulations and proclamation of the Act by the Lieutenant Governor in Council are required.

NOSM has established a Transition Team, led by Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO, to oversee the creation of NOSM University. The work of the transition team is expected to take about a year and will continue throughout 2021-22. At the same time, NOSM students have established a new student council and have embarked on scoping various student support services and associated ancillary fees.

For the upcoming academic year (2021-22) students will continue to register with either Laurentian University or Lakehead University and, as such, pay tuition/ancillary fees directly to those universities. An email from records@nosm.ca will be sent to UME students with detailed next steps and information. Master of Medical Studies students will receive updates from graduatestudies@nosm.ca. NODIP students will continue to pay NOSM directly.In addition, we will work with Laurentian University and Lakehead University to maintain the existing relationship agreements, or seek to negotiate similar agreements, with each of them. These agreements govern areas such as research, libraries, faculty appointments, etc. will remain in place and will be reviewed as part of our ongoing work with Lakehead University, Laurentian University and other key stakeholders as we transition to NOSM University.

There are no changes at the present time for PGME residents who are already registered for the 21/22 academic year and have paid their registration fees through the PGME Office.

We will provide subsequent updates as the transition to NOSM University progresses and we look forward to working with key stakeholders in this evolutionary endeavour.

If you have any questions or comments about the transition from NOSM to NOSM University, please email nosmu@nosm.ca.

Background

On Tuesday, June 16, 2021, Dr. Sarita Verma, NOSM Dean, President and CEO, hosted a webinar for students, faculty and staff. With nearly 250 NOSM community in attendance, this was an opportunity to learn more about NOSM University, and ask questions related to the School’s learning, teaching and work environments. View the webinar recording.

Excerpt of Schedule 16: NOSM U Act, 2021

Bill 276 (Royal Assent)

Community Consultation Information

Dr. Sarita Verma’s presentation is available to download in English and French.