NOSM to Separate from Lakehead
Many students, staff and faculty members at Lakehead University were shocked Thursday April 15th as Minister Ross Romano proposed legislation to establish the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) as an independent, degree-granting intuition and separate it from Lakehead University and Laurentian University. This decision, announced amidst many of the new COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario, was made without consultation or input from either Lakehead or Laurentian University in the wake of Laurentian University filing for insolvency.
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) first opened in 2005 as a not-for-profit corporation of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury. NOSM is a stand-alone legal entity which is governed by its own Board of Directors, and receives funding directly from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Health, but it is through Lakehead and Laurentian Universities that 714 NOSM students to date have received their MD. NOSM currently does not have degree-granting status on its own, something the proposed legislation seeks to change.
But is this in the best interest of Lakehead students, faculty, and staff? According to President and Vice-Chancellor of Lakehead University Dr. Moira McPherson, it most definitely is not. In a letter to Lakehead students, staff, and faculty, Dr. McPherson (who also serves as vice-chair of NOSM and has been involved with the institution since its inception) questioned why Lakehead University and other key stakeholders had been left in the dark about such a major decision. She also criticized the idea on the basis that separation of the two institutions would jeopardize the research opportunities, scholarships, Tri-Council funding, and training opportunities for graduate students generated by the current relationship between Lakehead and NOSM. As stated in her email, Dr. McPherson believes that should the separation go forward “existing relationships and collaborative research and innovation, including those initiatives funded by Tri-Council research funds, will be put at risk and almost certainly be lost.”
Due to a lack of details provided by the provincial government, it is unclear at this time what specific changes will result from this decision, although Lakehead’s President has pointed out that “[Lakehead University has] not received confirmation from the Ministry that a NOSM campus will remain at Lakehead University, or even be located in Northwestern Ontario.” For a school that was established to improve access to healthcare and physicians in the region, this implication is deeply troubling.
NOSM Dean, President, and CEO Dr. Sarita Verma dismissed these claims in a statement released Tuesday: “There have been several misleading statements made in the media and directly to NOSM partners that have instilled fear and panic with NOSM stakeholders. The fact is that NOSM is not leaving Thunder Bay or Sudbury.” Dr. Verma goes on to claim that NOSM is not taking any steps to change campuses, curricula, processes, policies or existing partnerships, but that the growing concern expressed by the community is “hurting the perception that people have of a fantastic school.”
On Tuesday, April 20th, the City Council of Thunder Bay unanimously passed a resolution to endorse a letter from Dr. McPherson expressing her concerns to the province over plans to make NOSM an independent, degree granting institution. The council passed the resolution, put forward by Mayor Bill Mauro, in an attempt to show support for Lakehead and draw attention to the province’s failure to consult the university. Dr. McPherson shared the following statement with the Argus:
“We are heartened that Thunder Bay city council has joined us in publicly speaking out against Minister Ross Romano’s decision to sever the Northern Ontario School of Medicine from its partnership with Lakehead and Laurentian Universities. In rushing to implement this massive policy shift without consultation, Minister Romano has failed to consider the very real and devastating impacts this decision will have both on Lakehead University and the community. We have heard from so many people already across Northwestern Ontario who are united against this decision. It is our sincere hope that Minister Romano will reconsider it and do what is best for Northwestern Ontario.”
The decision to endorse this letter came without hearing from NOSM, and in a statement Dr. Verma called the resolution “misinformed and misled” and called the measures proposed by the province a “step toward maturity” which will only strengthen the presence of the medical school in the North. Concerned with how the growing panic might negatively impact NOSM, she said, “Dr. McPherson has written to our accreditation body, which now looks like our accreditation will be at risk. That's not good. This needs to stop.” Despite declining to comment on the basis that NOSM is unable to comment on matters relating Laurentian University’s Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act (CCAA) proceedings, Dr. Verma shared the following statement with the Argus:
“We will continue to work with the Government of Ontario, rural, Indigenous and Francophone communities, learners, faculty and staff, and our institutional partners to remain an internationally renowned institution that prepares world-class health-care professionals to practise in Ontario.”
Dr. McPherson and many other concerned community members have also reached out to several key governmental figures calling for increased consultation with all parties involved before proceeding with this plan. In an email to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano, MPP Michael Gravelle says that he has received several emails from concerned community members over the sudden announcement and states that he is “vehemently opposed to the severance proposal”. Likewise, a statement from MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell showed her support for Dr. McPherson and Lakehead: “Doug Ford must listen to staff at Lakehead, revisit his government’s move immediately and start a real consultation process with the students, University faculty and staff, healthcare providers, Indigenous communities, and community and regional business leaders who were left out. The future of jobs at Lakehead, programs for students, and the economic and health outcomes of Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario are at stake.”