Northern Ontario School of Medicine marks first day as standalone institution
On Thursday, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine became a standalone institution, the first of its kind in Canada.
NOSM's president and CEO Dr. Sarita Verma said this is a significant milestone.
"With royal assent, we will transition to becoming a degree-granting university -- it's really great news for northern Ontario," Verma said.
The decision was not without controversy, after Lakehead University launched a campaign to keep the status quo.
"It's a trend in the world -- in the United States there are a lot of new universities that are medical schools," Verma said.
"There's also some amazing top 50 universities like the University of Vienna where Sigmund Freud studied ... this is not unusual. Like the pandemic, people have had to shift and move quickly."
Verma said NOSM is in a great position to move forward and diversify and innovate as it looks to find its footing. She said students won't notice any changes.
"There will be a change in the degree itself," said Verma. "It'll have a NOSM seal on it, not Laurentian and Lakehead, but other than that there isn't a lot of difference. Our degree was accredited to NOSM, it wasn't accredited to Laurentian or Lakehead. The degree that's in the college license is NOSM."
"Lakehead had an interesting propaganda campaign run by a communications firm and I think some innocent bystanders got harmed by it, frankly," she said.
Since opening its doors in 2005, NOSM has produced 714 doctors, many of whom self-identify as either Indigenous or French. The school is also graduating 66 new doctors this week in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
The school is planning to move ahead with its strategic plan that focuses on health impacts for the region.
Administration will begin broad consultations about the next steps over the summer months.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live updates: What star witness in Trump hush money case has said on the stand so far
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.