NOSM University has been granted a $500,000 gift from the Marcel and Frances Labelle Foundation.
The Labelle Foundation gift of $500,000 will be matched by the FDC Foundation, creating a $1 million endowment for undergraduate medical students from communities along the Highway 11 corridor, including Hearst, Kapuskasing, Timmins, and Cochrane, said a news release from NOSM U.
Dr. Sarita Verma, president, vice-chancellor, dean and CEO of NOSM University was pleased with the endowment.
“We are so grateful to the Marcel and Frances Labelle Foundation for their continued vision, generosity and support,” said Verma.
“Truly, they are investing in a healthier future for all Northern Ontarians.”
The foundation, created by celebrated Cochrane, Ontario philanthropists Marcel and Frances Labelle, has a history of supporting health and education in Northeastern Ontario. Notably, the foundation made a naming gift in 2022 which helped to realize the creation of the Labelle Innovation and Learning Centre at Health Sciences North in Greater Sudbury, an integral partner to NOSM University.
“This foundation understands that students from Northern Ontario are more likely to stay to practise in the North,” Verma added.
“It equally understands that Northern health care is a complex ecosystem, and that many stakeholders must invest wisely to make it work. Backing our students is always a wise investment.”
Ehor Bobby, president of the Marcel and Frances Labelle Foundation, was pleased with the partnership.
“It's an honour to play a part in the development of doctors to the benefit of citizens of northeastern Ontario,” said Bobby.
The Marcel and Frances Labelle Endowment Fund will support up to three eligible medical students annually, beginning this year, at a minimum of $10,000 per year.
Since 2005, NOSM University has been delivering on its mandate. It has graduated 838 MDs, 65 of whom are Indigenous, and 171 of whom are Francophone. More than half of NOSM graduates have stayed in Northern Ontario. NOSM University estimates that about 400,000 people have been helped so far by a graduate, said the news release.
