New bursary program for Northern medical school students

The province has set up a new bursary program which willhelp Northeastern Ontario students attend the new Northern Medical School.

Further information is included in the following news release issued today by the Ontairo government:

(SUDBURY)
The Ontario government is helping to meet future health care needs of northerners by investing in a new bursary program at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci announced today.

“By contributing to the student endowment fund we are investing in the health of northern Ontarians,” said Bartolucci. “Our investment will keep young people in the North and pay very real dividends by helping to train bright, motivated doctors who will bring their skills to communities throughout Northern Ontario.”

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is committing up to $5 million to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Bursary Fund to help students from northern, rural and remote communities defray the costs associated with attending medical school and help them avoid significant debt at the end of their medical undergraduate training. Studies have shown that students who come from and train in rural settings are more likely to become rural physicians.

The bursary fund is a collaborative effort among Lakehead and Laurentian universities, the school of medicine and donors. The partners have launched a $5-million fundraising campaign and are seeking support from individuals and communities from across Northern Ontario in establishing the fund. The NOHFC will match eligible donations as they are received by NOSM, to a total of $5 million.

“This significant contribution from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund certainly gives our fundraising efforts a much appreciated boost,” said northeastern fundraising chairman
Gerry Lougheed. “We look forward to the day when the very first recipient of a bursary under this program is actually practising and delivering important health care in one of our northern communities.”

“The school’s board of directors has set the goal that no student of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will be disadvantaged financially by studying here,” said NOSM founding dean
Dr. Roger Strasser. “We greatly appreciate this investment by the NOHFC as it will help us ensure that financial aid is available to all students in need of this support.”

This NOHFC project is part of the government’s Northern Prosperity Plan for building stronger northern communities. The Northern Prosperity Plan has four pillars: Strengthening the North and its Communities; Listening to and Serving Northerners Better; Competing Globally; and Providing Opportunities for All.