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NOSM Board of Directors Celebrates Successful Year

Rooted in the North

Using a combination of web- and teleconference connectivity across Northern Ontario, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) held its Annual Members and Board of Directors meetings on Wednesday, September 19, 2018.In accordance with Board policy, Dr. Alexandre Anawati, Danielle Bélanger-Corbin, Mark Hurst, and Bruce Sutton were reappointed as Directors. George Payne, NOSM medical student, was appointed as a Director for a one-year term. The audited financial statements for the year ending April 30, 2018 were approved as presented, and the Board approved the auditors for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2019.

Board members received updates on the many successes celebrated at NOSM over the past year, including Gididaa bimaadiziwemin wenji-maamoobiiding—NOSM’s Indigenous Community  Partnership Gathering—taking place in Wauzhushk Onigum Nation and the 13th annual Northern Health Research Conference happening this week in Kenora.

Board members and invited guests received copies of three new NOSM publications: Northern PassagesThe Scopeand NOSM’s annual Report to Northern Ontario. The theme of this year’s annual report is Rooted in the North. This unifying theme captures the progress that NOSM has made in establishing its roots in Northern Ontario, and reinforces the idea that the School is anchored in its mandate to be socially accountable to the needs and the diversity of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario.

At the meeting, Dr. Moira McPherson, Board Vice Chair, congratulated Dr. Roger Strasser, Dean, on behalf of the Board, on achieving his performance goals of 2017/2018. “The annual review committee reviewed the documentation provided and the committee was very impressed with the quality of work that took place over the past year,” says McPherson. “Dean Strasser made important steps forward with a focus on Francophone and Indigenous relationships at the School. The work done around the strategic focus of NOSM as well as funding initiatives, has also been valuable. The annual review committee provided a strong and unanimous recommendation of support to the Board executive.”

The next Board of Directors meeting will be a two-day session held in Sudbury on November 22-23, 2018, when some sessions will be held jointly with NOSM’s Academic Council.

For more information about NOSM’s Board of Directors, please visit our website at nosm.ca/board.

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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-centred, community-engaged education and research.For further information, please contact:

news@nosm.ca

NOSM Hosting Kids & Concussion What You Need to Know

Sudbury Wolves Hockey Club team doctor to moderate, and players will share personal experiences with concussion

The Continuing Education and Professional Development Office at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is hosting Kids and Concussion: What You Need to Know, a public education event on concussion. The event is being held in celebration of Coaches’ Week and in recognition of Rowan’s Law Day.

Date:
Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Time:
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Location:
Sudbury Arena
240 Elgin Street
Media / Conference Room (Off main lobby entrance)

Rowan’s Law Day, the last Wednesday in September, honours Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old rugby player who died as a result of multiple concussions. In 2017, Ontario passed concussion safety legislation, known as Rowan’s Law, that establishes mandatory requirements for organizations and coaches, with an aim to make the sport safer on the field, court, mats, or playground.

This educational event targets coaches, teachers, parents, and athletes in all sport that may carry a risk of head injury, and is intended to support prevention and identification on concussion in recreational sport or at play. The event will also provide guidance and resources related to return to school and sport following a head injury.

The Kids and Concussion: What You Need to Know educational material has been developed by NOSM clinical faculty from Thunder Bay and Sudbury, including Drs. Tara Baldisera, David McKee, Jairus Quesnele and Deborah Smith, and nurse practitioner Shannon Kenrick-Rochon, and will be presented by the Sudbury-based professionals with a focus on practices in concussion management.

Supported by the Sudbury Wolves Hockey Club, the event will be hosted in the Wolves Media Room, with Wolves team doctor, Dr. Chris Trebb moderating the event. Wolves players will also be on hand to share their experience with concussion.

This event is open to the public. Please note that space is limited and seating will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

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 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.

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

My heritage is very important to me

Source: Northern Ontario Medical Journal |2018/03/09 Written by: Nadine Robinson | Photo courtesy of Sarah Marie Webster


“My heritage is very important to me. I believe the fact that I am Aboriginal is where my resiliency comes from… and my determination to succeed.” – Dr. Elaine Innes.


Photo of Dr. Elaine Innes outdoors.When Moose Factory native Elaine Innes found out she was pregnant at the age of 16, she thought that her dreams of becoming a nurse were finished. Fortunately, her mother and father wouldn’t let her quit school, or give up on her dreams, telling her that education opens doors to many opportunities.

She went on attain her nursing diploma in 1990 from Northern College in Moosonee, and a BScN and a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certificate in 1996 from Lakehead University.

“I had always wanted to be a nurse,” said Dr. Innes. “But as I took on more responsibility. I was encouraged by physicians I was working with to apply to medical school. In particular, Dr. Murray Trusler told me I would be a good doctor.”
Innes attended medical school at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, graduating in 2013, completing her family medicine residency through NOSM, based out of Timmins, in 2015.

“Medical school definitely was not easy, especially since I was 40 years old when I started,” said Innes. “I moved to Sudbury with my family, and my husband commuted to support us financially. I was thankful to have sponsorship and the bursaries I received, but we struggled financially. Adjusting to living in the city was also not easy for me and my children.”

On top of the stresses of medical school, Dr. Innes’ mother became ill and passed away in 2008. “I felt I did not have time to grieve her passing as I had to return to school. But, the fact that she was so proud of me that I got into medical school gave me the drive to continue. Because she was my mentor, encouraging me to go after what I wanted in life, I was sad that she did not see me graduate.”

Now, Dr. Innes practises family and emergency medicine and serves as a hospitalist in Timmins, Moose Factory and outlying communities such as Moosonee and Kashechewan.

A Moose Cree First Nation member, Dr. Innes’ first language was Cree.

“It’s important to be proud of who you are and where you come from. My heritage is very important to me. I believe the fact that I am Aboriginal is where my resiliency comes from… and my determination to succeed. I lived in a tent frame in my childhood years with no running water, and no electricity, but I was always told by my parents that I could do whatever I wanted to do in life as long as I worked hard. That is the message I hope youth will take away from my story.”

Dr. Innes hopes one day to return home to Moose Factory to practice medicine there full-time.