Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity Officially Opens at NOSM University

Made possible by transformational $10 million gift from the Temerty Foundation

NOSM University is officially cutting the ribbon on the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity. The grand opening of this Centre signals another major step forward in the improvement of health and wellness for all in Northern Ontario.

Through policy leadership and advocacy, research and innovation, and education that better aligns medical training with community needs, this multidisciplinary, one-of-a-kind Centre in Canada will ultimately help people who both need and deserve better access to health care services across the region and beyond.

Just like NOSM University’s distributed education model, research will be conducted by and between partners and networks across Northern Ontario.

“The Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity is an incredible strategy to harness the insights, experience and collective will of people in Northern Ontario who care deeply about communities that face barriers to health care,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, President, Vice-Chancellor, Dean and CEO. “I am so proud of the work that has already been done, and deeply grateful to the Temerty Foundation for their visionary support that allows us to pursue this critical work. Their investment is a powerful vote of confidence.”

In September 2023, a $10 million gift was made by the Temerty Foundation to NOSM University to advance and grow social accountability and health equity initiatives as well as support medical students. In recognition of this transformational gift, the former Centre for Social Accountability is renamed the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity in honour of Mrs. Louise Temerty’s late brother. He was an inspiring and compassionate physician who, among other things, practised rural medicine in Northern Quebec, and was dedicated to serving marginalized communities before his death in 1975.

James and Louise Temerty are selfless philanthropic leaders and long-time supporters of a wide range of causes that improve lives in Canada and worldwide. Between them, Jim and Louise hold five Honorary Doctorates, and are co-chairs of the Temerty Foundation, making significant philanthropic contributions to health care, education, and the arts.

About the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity

Established as the NOSM University Centre for Social Accountability in 2021, the Centre was born of an immutable conviction: that everyone, regardless of circumstance or geography, deserves the dignity of equal access to health-care practitioners who are culturally competent, understand the realities of living in the rural and remote North, and lead with compassion and integrity.

The Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity is the only one of its kind in Canada. It is a visionary, multidisciplinary venture, dedicated to the improvement of health and wellness in Northern Ontario. Through policy leadership and advocacy, research and innovation, and education that better aligns medical training with community needs, the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity is already becoming a frontrunner in the improvement of sustainable equity, access, and population health outcomes. Its impact derives from regional focus, yet is unbounded in its scope. The national and international relevance of its work will become recognized as the Centre’s results are dispersed among practitioners, policy makers, and advocates in similarly challenged regions.

About NOSM University

NOSM University is Canada’s first independent medical university and one of the greatest education and physician workforce strategy success stories of Northern Ontario. More than just a medical university, it was purpose-built to address the health needs of the region. Through its distributed model, the university works alongside many underserved communities across the North, and contributes to the economic development of Northern Ontario. NOSM University relies on the commitment and expertise of the people of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and other underserved communities. With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, NOSM University is an award-winning, socially-accountable organization renowned for its innovative model of community-engaged education and research.

NOSM University produces resourceful, resilient health-care professionals who serve with kindness and protect the dignity of all. They are guided by conscience, humanitarian values, and the principles of good citizenship.

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