In the Spotlight

Dr. Andrew Smith named NOSM University’s new Program Director, General Surgery

NOSM University is pleased to announce Dr. Andrew Smith as the incoming Program Director of the General Surgery Residency Program effective July 1, 2023. Dr. Smith, a general surgeon with a special interest in bariatric surgery, has practised at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre since 2014. An Associate Professor at NOSM University, Dr. Smith has taken an active role in the General Surgery Program as a previous Site Director in Thunder Bay. He also served initially as the Chair for the Surgical Foundations Competency Committee and now as the Chair for the General Surgery Competency Committee. Dr. Smith looks forward to workin...

Researchers at NOSM and Lakehead Universities studying artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of Northern health care

Researchers from NOSM University and Lakehead University are collaborating to better understand artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of Northern Ontario. The AI-NORTH project aims to identify ways that Northern and rural patients and populations are represented in, and benefit from, the global AI paradigm shift. The project also connects people doing healthcare AI research through a collaboratory—a virtual space to share and discuss current projects happening in Northern Ontario. Spearheaded by Dr. Erin Cameron, the inaugural Academic Director of NOSM University’s Centre for Social Accountability (CFSA), the project is funde...

New Program Set to Bring More Medical Residents to the North

The new Northern Ontario Resident Streamlined Training and Reimbursement (Nor-Star) program from the Ontario Ministry of Health aims to remove barriers to training more physicians in Northern Ontario. A new portion of the program will launch on July 1 and will reimburse the costs of travel and accommodation for medical residents on elective in Northern Ontario. Data from NOSM University shows that among medical residents who complete an elective in Northern Ontario, one in five will return to practice in the North. And for learners who complete both their medical degree and a residency elective in Northern Ontario, the likelihood of pra...