A Window on Northern Ontario

NOSM University has a mandate to be socially accountable to the cultural diversity of the region it serves including Indigenous peoples, Francophones, remote communities, small rural towns, large rural communities, and urban centres.  Evidence of this mandate can be found in the School’s curriculum, administrative structure, research program, student demographics, continuing education program, and more.

NOSM University faculty, staff and students do not function in a traditional medical school building.  Rather, the walls of the University are the boundaries of Northern Ontario, spanning thousands of kilometres, with two main campuses and countless communities that are linked in some way to the School.

Whether through an affiliation agreement with a community hospital or health centre, a local physician or student placement, NOSM University’s virtual walls touch communities in a wide variety of ways.  The model of distributed medical education and research instils a complex understanding of rural health and an educational experience that is grounded in the realities of community-based health care. Learners receive clinical training in a variety of settings – hospitals, health centres, family practices – where they witness health challenges firsthand and are introduced to the distinct cultures, lifestyle opportunities and learning environments of Northern Ontario.