New strategic plan

The first five years of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine were about establishing the school and getting it up and running.

Now the tough work begins, said founding dean Roger Strasser on Tuesday, as he unveiled a new strategic plan for the dual campus institution, designed to guide faculty and students through the next five years of operation.

"It was really about putting in place our education programs, our MD program, our residency program, our continuing education and professional development program, the dietary internship program. We’ve done that. They’re all fully accredited. We have graduates out there in the workplace and they’re successful," Strasser said, following a 45-minute launch at Lakehead University on Tuesday morning.

"The school is really off to a good start toward filling its mandate of contributing to improve the health of the people in the communities of Northern Ontario. So we’re off to a good start. But having started, we really need to have a sense of direction and purpose as we go forward in the further development and growth of the school."

After more than a year of internal and external consultations, NOSM officials identified five key areas to focus on: enhancing the education program, strengthening research initiatives, developing a stronger learning environment, fostering better faculty relations and improving collaboration and communication with community partners.

Research, said the associate dean of research, is the key to that success.

"I think it represents an unbelievable opportunity for us," said Greg Ross via video-conference from Laurentian University in Sudbury, home to NOSM’s eastern campus. "We have to be doing state-of-the-art teaching to inform our students and we have to be doing state-of-the-art research to inform our teachers."

Meanwhile Ken Adams, the school’s associate dean of administration, said the new strategic plan is grounded on a new vision to provide innovative education and research for a healthier North and a new mission statement, that essentially says the school is committed to the education of high quality physicians and health professionals and to become a recognized leader in community-engaged education and research.

"It’s intended to guide our activities, give us a sense of who we are and really focus in on our decisions over the next five years," Adams said.

Initiatives outlined in the 20-page report include improvements to infrastructure, faculty retention plans and professional development., working to actively involve aboriginal, Francophone and rural and remote communities and the formation of enhanced research partnerships.

An electronic version of the report is available at www.nosm.ca/strategicplan.