THUNDER BAY — Two students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have won the inaugural CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Awards.
Alison Lewis and Melanie-Rose Frappier, both fourth-year students, will receive $20,000 each, plus a professional development budget of $3,750 apiece.
The students will become active members of NOSM's Indigenous Reference Group and the Indigenous Health Education Committee.
The school says they will provide insight and actionable items to support future Indigenous health learners.
Lewis is Metis, was born in Sioux Lookout, and grew up in Manitoba. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry.
Lewis spent her third year of medical school in Sioux Lookout where she worked with Indigenous patients and in several northern fly-in communities.
She plans to work as a family doctor in Northern Ontario.
Frappier is Metis and Francophone, and hails from Sudbury. She graduated from Laurentian University in 2018 with a degree in Indigenous Studies.
Frappier is the founder of several NOSM interest groups, including the Indigenous Cultural Activities Interest Group.
She plans to practise family medicine in Indigenous and Francophone communities in Northern Ontario.
