On Monday, September 9, 2013, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF), and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) introduced Dr. Sheldon Tobe as the new HSF/NOSM Chair in Aboriginal and Rural Health at the NOSM.

The creation of the HSF/NOSM Chair in Aboriginal and Rural Health is the result of a significant collaboration and a shared vision between the three organizations. A total of $3 million in funding from HSF and the MTCU, equally shared, has established an endowment that will support the research endeavours of the Chair well into the future. This has been further supplemented by NOSM with a $1 million multi-year commitment in start-up and operating funding.

“The Foundation is delighted with the appointment of Dr. Sheldon Tobe as the inaugural Heart and Stroke Foundation/Northern Ontario School of Medicine Chair in Aboriginal and Rural Health,” says Vincent Bowman, Director of Research, Ontario for the HSF. “He is a highly-regarded investigator who brings the right mix of experience, skills and tools to effectively engage with Aboriginal and rural community stakeholders in designing and implementing research that addresses priority cardiovascular health needs.”

Tobe’s research focuses on improving the lives of people who are at risk of, or who have been diagnosed with kidney disease by focusing on the diagnosis and control of hypertension. He has worked closely with many Canadian Aboriginal communities with his current research projects on blood-pressure management and introducing chronic-disease management programs for cardiovascular risk reduction.

The main focus of Tobe’s proposed research in the role of HSF/NOSM Chair in Rural and Aboriginal Health is to improve cardiovascular outcomes, reduce mortality, and increase quality of life for people with, or at risk of developing cardiovascular-renal disease. The primary goal of Dr. Tobe’s proposed research is preventing heart attack and stroke. Strategies to accomplish this goal include collaborations and partnerships with community members, community and academic health-care providers, and institutions.

“I am thrilled with the addition of Dr. Sheldon Tobe to our complement of researchers. Dr. Tobe has pre-established connections with Aboriginal communities and a very specialized expertise to share with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Dr. Tobe’s research focuses on improving cardiovascular outcomes, with the primary goal of preventing heart attack and stroke – initiatives that I am very excited about,” said Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM’s Dean. “Dr. Tobe’s passion for research and experience will assist us in working towards the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North . On behalf of NOSM, I congratulate Dr. Tobe and wish him every success.”

Additionally, through the generosity of TD Bank Group, the HSF has secured a $100,000 gift that will support second-year NOSM medical students in conducting research in Aboriginal communities. Over the next three summers, eight medical students will be funded to return to a community in which they have already lived to address a unique cardiovascular research concern that the community itself has identified. This funding expands HSF’s partnership with NOSM, and provides a critical bridge in helping the next generation of physicians and scientific investigators gain valuable research experience in a collaborative and culturally-sensitive way.

About the Northern Ontario School of Medicine
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is committed to the education of high quality physicians and health professionals, and to international recognition as a leader in distributed, learning-centered, community-engaged education and research.　

About the Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. ‘Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen’. Heartandstroke.ca .

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Janice Willett as Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Dr. David MacLean as Assistant Dean of Research, and Dr. Owen Prowse as Assistant Dean of Admissions.

“Drs. Willett, MacLean, and Prowse have valuable expertise to share with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s community, and experience that greatly complements the School’s vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM’s Dean. “On behalf of NOSM, I congratulate Drs. Willett, MacLean, and Prowse on their appointments, and wish them every success as they contribute to NOSM’s leadership in distributed, community-engaged education and research.”

Dr. Janice Willett, Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Effective November 1, 2013

Dr. Willett will be responsible for Faculty Affairs, ensuring that NOSM’s faculty members have the support they require to enhance their teaching, research and other scholarly activities. In addition, she will be responsible for the leadership of NOSM’s Continuing Education and Professional Development (CEPD) program.

Dr. Willett has been in medical practice for 24 years. She is a medical graduate of University of Western Ontario, London, where she completed postgraduate training. in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has practiced in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario since 1992 with her husband who is also a surgeon.

Dr. Willett has held many leadership positions including as medical director of Maternal Child Program and Surgery Program at the Sault Area Hospital in the past and currently serves on the Sault Area Hospital Foundation Board. She has many years’ experience of leadership at the Ontario Medical Association where she was President in 2007. Recently, she has served as Chair of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Committee on Education and Professional Development and currently is leading development of a CMA policy on physician fatigue management. Dr. Willett was appointed Head of the Clinical Sciences Division at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in 2010 and Chair of NOSM’s Academic Council in 2012. She participates on numerous other committees at NOSM.

Dr. David MacLean, Assistant Dean, Research
Effective July 1, 2013

As Assistant Dean of Research, Dr. MacLean will be responsible for aspects of planning, development, and implementation of a research strategy that supports NOSM’s Strategic Plan. Dr. MacLean will build NOSM’s research culture among NOSM faculty and learners that promotes excellence and innovation, and foster research activities that positively impact the health of those living in Northern communities.

Dr. MacLean attained his PhD at the University of Guelph and then two post-doctoral fellowships, one at the Copenhagen Muscle Research Center (1994-1996) and the second in the Division of Cardiology at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) College of Medicine (1996-1998). He then accepted a faculty position at PSU in the Division of Cardiology where he was Director of the NIH funded Microdialysis Core Laboratory until 2001. Dr. MacLean then accepted a position at Kent State University as the Director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory until 2004 at which time Dr. MacLean returned to Canada to join NOSM as a faculty member in the Division of Medical Sciences. During his career, Dr. MacLean has received funding and enjoyed research collaborations with such agencies as the American Heart Association, NIH, NASA, NSERC and CIHR.

Dr. Owen Prowse, Assistant Dean, Admissions
Effective August 1, 2013

In his new role, Dr. Prowse will be responsible for all aspects of planning, implementing, and evaluating NOSM’s MD admissions process, as well as for the recruitment of applicants to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Dr. Prowse is an Attending Surgeon at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and has held a faculty appointment at NOSM in the Clinical Sciences Division as Assistant Professor of Surgery since 2005.

Dr. Prowse began his career by completing his MD, at the University of Toronto and then two post-graduate training programs, one at the University of Toronto in the Department of Surgery – Oncology (1994-1999) and the second at the Albert Einstein University – Montefiore Medical Center in General Surgery (1999-2001). Dr. Prowse then completed a Surgical Oncology and Laparoscopy fellowship at the Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida (2002-03) where he was hired on as a Urological Surgeon. During his career, Dr. Prowse has been affiliated with many medical organizations such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Transplantation Society and the Canadian Medical Association. He has also received numerous awards, including the Specialist New Preceptor of the Year Award – 2005-2006 for the Family Medicine North Residency Program – McMaster University and Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

An Annual and Special Meeting of the Members of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Board of Directors (NOSM) (the “Corporation”) will be held at the offices of the Corporation via two-site tele/videoconferencing, as follows:

Date:                  Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Time:               5:00 p.m.

Location:         Thunder Bay
                       Northern Ontario School of Medicine
West Campus, Lakehead University
955 Oliver Road
Advanced Technology and Academic Centre (ATAC), Room 6022

Sudbury
                       Northern Ontario School of Medicine
East Campus, Laurentian University
935 Ramsey Lake Road
Medical School Building, Room 215
The Annual and Special Meeting is being held for the following purposes:

·      to review and approve the minutes of the last Members’ meeting,

·      to receive the financial statements for the Corporation for the year ended April 30,
2013,

·      to elect the Corporation’s directors and to set their terms for the ensuing year,

·      to appoint auditors for the forthcoming fiscal year and to fix the auditors’
remuneration,

·      to confirm By-law No. 6, which amends and restates By-law No. 2 (as amended by
By-law Nos. 3, 4 and 5), by approving the form of resolution attached hereto, and

·      to transact any such further and other business as may properly come before the

meeting.

 

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
Dr. Roger Strasser
President and Chief Executive Officer

BY-LAW NO. 6   (.pdf) 
BE IT RESOLVED THAT By-law No. 6, being a by-law amending and restating By-law No. 2 of the Corporation (as amended by By-law Nos. 3, 4 and 5), as approved by the board of directors of the Corporation is confirmed.

For information regarding this notice, please contact the Office of the Board of Directors, Northern Ontario School of Medicine at 705-662-7206  or by email to Gina Kennedy at gkennedy@nosm.ca .