About MERLIN

Mission:

Serving the health needs of Northern Ontario through building and supporting research communities and leaders in health and medical education.

Vision:

Promoting a healthier north through research in health and medical education.

History:

In 2018, a group of academic and clinical researchers came to establish MERLIN (Medical Education Research Lab in the North).

Using a Living Lab approach, MERLIN has provided support across portfolios at NOSM University and across the region that has allowed for rich collaborations and advanced medical education research, scholarship, and practice at NOSM University. Living labs offer a novel structure that can help build a knowledge economy in health and medical education research. In its first year, MERLIN fostered educational inquiry by hosting seminars and workshops that encouraged a culture of inquiry within NOSM University; MERLIN supported academic communities by offering monthly research networking meetings that advanced research ideas, projects, and activities; lastly, MERLIN led innovative research in medical education by supporting numerous research initiatives and successful funding proposals that will help inform NOSM University programs and curriculum, all while advancing educational innovations specific to Northern and rural contexts.