NORTHERN ONTARIO—The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is seeking the public’s input in developing its next strategic plan for 2015-2020 in order to ensure that the school remains accountable to the needs of Northern Ontarians.
“As we near the end of NOSM’s 2010 to 2015 Strategic Plan, we are beginning to assess next steps,” states NOSM Dean Dr. Roger Strasser in a press release. “To achieve this, we are spending this year cultivating a rich dialogue within the school and with the people and communities we serve, particularly focused on educational excellence, outstanding research, relationship development, organizational effectiveness and expanded resources.”
“In January 2014, NOSM issued a call for expressions of interest to oversee the strategic planning process for the 2015 to 2020 Strategic Plan,” continues the release. “To our great excitement, we were flooded with responses and established the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC) – a group of 28 people that includes the perspectives of board members, academic council members, physicians, staff, faculty, learners, academics, administrators, and community members. Those who were not selected to join SPAC have been invited to participate as Strategic Planning Reference Group members.”
“We are also undertaking an environmental scan,” Dean Strasser explains. “Over the last few years, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other organizations have challenged medical schools to transform health professional education and research to meet changing societal needs. NOSM is the only Canadian medical school established with a social accountability mandate. In order to continue to be a leader, we must accurately assess national and global issues and developments in our field. For these perspectives, we have already begun reaching out to other Canadian medical schools, international health professional institutions and others who may provide insight.”
“The most important aspect of our strategic planning will be to seek the perspectives of our collaborators so that we can advance together,” he adds. “Aboriginal communities, Francophone communities, health service partners, host universities, funders, local and provincial governmental officials, LHINs and many others will have a say in the future of the school. These collaborators share the dream of equitable, responsive health care for all Northern Ontarians, and their feedback ensures that we develop a plan for NOSM that will continue to meet their needs.”
“Our many successes – positive influence on recruitment and retention, innovative use of technology, unique distributed community engaged learning model and our long list of national and international awards – have created a global reputation that has only been possible because of the contributions of so many,” Dean Strasser concludes. “With the new NOSM Strategic Plan, we hope to continue to work with Northern Ontarians to reach beyond extraordinary, charting our future with 2020 vision of the road before us.”
To provide your input into shaping the next five years of NOSM, visit nosmsp2020.ca and join the conversation about NOSM’s future.
