Indigenous Stories

Indigenous communities create virtual experiences for NOSM students

Spending four weeks in a remote, rural or fly-in Indigenous community is typically a rite of passage for first-year medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), but the pandemic put a halt to all travel in 2020. The School has earned a national and international reputation for offering in-community experiences that help students gain both a cultural understanding of Indigenous communities and a feel for the broad range of health inequities and barriers to care that exist in Northern Ontario. In the midst of the pandemic, it was not possible to send students into communities. It was decided the safest option w...

NOSM Celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21, 2021 marks the 25th annual National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day when we celebrate the diverse culture, the rich history and the wondrousness of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples—our colleagues, friends and family. This date was chosen for many reasons, including its cultural significance as the summer solstice, and the fact that it is a day on which many Indigenous peoples and communities across the region traditionally celebrate their heritage. Today is an important day for all Canadians to observe. Participate in Indigenous cultural celebrations and be open to listening and learning about the history, culture ...

Indigenous graduate says inclusiveness and advocacy a strength

Dr. Meghan Beals says NOSM sparked her desire to explore her own Indigeneity. “I definitely overcame a lot of personal learning about my own culture during my four years at NOSM. I grew up off reserve and I didn’t have as much cultural exposure so there was a lot of personal growth and learning about my own Miꞌkmaq culture and the different inequities that Indigenous persons face in health care,” she says. Meghan says her fondest memories stem from the in-person clinical community placements she experienced during her third year, prior to the pandemic. During those placements she built strong relationships with faculty and fel...