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Northern Ontario School of Medicine press release ...

NOSM Welcomes Third Intake of 56 Medical Students

For the PDF version, please click on the link:
http://www.normed.ca/comm/e/Release/20070827/default.aspx

Today officially marks the first day of school for 56 new students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), following a whirlwind orientation week of exposure to the diversity and vitality of Northern Ontario. 

During their unique orientation, the School’s third intake of students traveled, participated in working sessions, met physicians and community leaders, and became acquainted with their new life as a medical student.  Following introductory sessions at their home campuses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury, the students gathered at Laurentian, where they embarked on a week-long bus excursion to Thunder Bay.

Stops along the way included Sault Ste. Marie, where the students participated in a tour of the world famous Soo Locks, and experienced a warm welcome from physicians and local dignitaries.  In Marathon, they enjoyed beach sports and a hearty barbeque at Penn Lake organized by Dr.
Sarah Newbery and a group of community physicians.  The final stop for the group was Thunder Bay, where they attended a dinner hosted by NOSM’s Founding Dean Dr. Roger Strasser and participated in a Hippocratic Oath ceremony, before returning to their respective campuses.

In its recruitment efforts, NOSM continues to follow its mandate of social accountability, and aims to have class profiles which reflect the cultural diversity of Northern Ontario.  Demographic profiles of the
2007 incoming class show that:

* 91% are from Northern Ontario
* 9% are self-identified Aboriginals
* 27% are self-identified Francophones

More than 2,000 applications were received for the 2007-08 academic year, of which 408 were interviewed.  NOSM’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions, Dr. Tom Szabo, noted that this was an exciting time for NOSM.  “With members of the 2006 class moving forward into their second year, NOSM now officially welcomes its third group of students, bringing our student complement to 168 aspiring physicians,”
he said.

Students will now get down to work and immerse themselves in all things
NOSM: state-of-the-art smart classrooms, a progressive distributed learning curriculum, and a community-based learning environment with placements across Northern Ontario.  Each of these elements helps to ensure that NOSM graduates physicians with an appreciation for the unique health-care needs of Northern Ontario, as well as the cultural diversity of the people who call it home.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a pioneering faculty of medicine.  The School is a joint initiative of Lakehead and Laurentian Universities with main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, and multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario.  By educating skilled physicians and undertaking health research suited to community needs, the School will become a cornerstone of community health care in Northern Ontario.

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For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Lisa Kokanie
Communications Officer, West
(807) 766-7314
lisa.kokanie@normed.ca

Yonaniko Grenon
Communications Officer, East
(705) 662-7243
yonaniko.grenon@normed.ca