Health equity is central to the mission of NOSM University and its partners. Through community-engaged, evidence-informed research, faculty and collaborators are addressing real-world challenges that affect the accessibility, quality, and fairness of health care particularly in rural, remote, and Northern communities.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded a research group affiliated with NOSM University a Project Grant totaling $803,251, reflecting the strength of collaboration and the impact of research rooted in local realities. Dr. Erin Cameron, Professor and Director of the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre of Health Equity at NOSM University, in partnership with Ottawa's Bruyère Health Research Institute, received the grant for the project A Place-based Framework for Equitable Health Service Delivery.
The project explores how geographic, health, and social data can improve the equity and effectiveness of the delivery of health services. By drawing on an existing place-based approach and incorporating community voices, the team aims to create a new framework that can guide more equitable service delivery in diverse settings.
This new framework will be refined through a pilot implementation in Thunder Bay, where it will be shaped by local data and lived experience. The goal is to build a model that can be adapted and scaled to improve equity in health-care systems across Canada. The project also highlights the strength of NOSM University's research partnerships with community organizations, which bring together clinical care and education in ways that directly benefit Northern Ontarians.
Drs. Cameron and Claire Kendall are co-principal investigators on the project, with co-investigators including partners from the City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, and numerous health providers and educational institutions across Northern Ontario. This project represents the ongoing commitment of NOSM University's research community to foster collaboration with regional partners to address the unique health-care needs and experiences of Canadians.
"This CIHR-funded project exemplifies how collaboration, innovation, and social accountability can lead to transformative change in health care," says Dr. David Marsh, Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies. "By working together across institutions, disciplines, and communities, NOSM University and its partners are advancing research excellence and helping to build a more equitable health system for all Northerners."
