NOSM holds francophone symposium

The Francophone Affairs Unit of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) will hold its third symposium at the Radisson Hotel in Sudbury April 28 - 30. 

Entitled, “Health - A Community Issue,” this event seeks to fulfill NOSM's commitment to the needs of francophone communities in Northern Ontario.  A recent report conducted by NOSM, entitled Francophone Community Engagement: Insight, Guidance, Action, will be officially launched as part of the program. 

This year’s symposium includes participants and speakers who will gather to examine current health practices and services, and discuss collaborative approaches designed to enhance effective health care.  There will be interactive workshops as well, that focus on community networking, capacity building, and cultural competence.  Speakers include:

- Dr. Roger Strasser, Dean, Northern Ontario School of Medicine;
- Dr. Marc Blayney, Associate Dean, Community Engagement, Northern
Ontario School of Medicine;
- Marc-André Larouche, Executive Director, Réseau de santé en
français du Moyen-Nord de l’Ontario;
- Peter Levesque, Executive Director, Knowledge Exchange Centre;
- Hubert Gauthier, President, HCGC,
- Angèle Brunelle, Executive Director, L’Accueil francophone de Thunder Bay;
- Denis Constantineau, Executive Director, Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury;
- Suzanne Davidson-Noël, Executive Director, Centre de santé
communautaire du Nipissing Ouest;
- Monique Lapalme, Chair, Greater Sudbury Health Sector Table;
- Diane Quintas, Interim Director, Réseau francophone de santé du Nord de l’Ontario; and,
- Hélène Éthier, Principal, École secondaire Sacré Coeur.

On April 28 Lise Paiement, an expert in Francophone cultural identity and awareness, will speak on ensuring the vitality of Francophone communities.

Dr. Gilles Julien, internationally known Social Pediatrician from the Montreal area, will speak about the important role of social pediatrics in the community on the evening of April 29. This event is open to the public not attending the entire conference at a cost of $30/person.

This symposium is open to the public.  Registration information can be found at www.nosm.ca.  Please note that all sessions will be presented in French; however, simultaneous interpretation to English will be provided to all who require this service.