Research conference June 1 & 2

Hundreds of academics and health-care providers will gather in Sault Ste. Marie June 1 and 2 for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's (NOSM) second annual Northern Health Research Conference.

Approximately 80 presenters representing several hundred authors will share their research findings through both oral presentations and poster displays.

The two-day conference at Algoma University College offers the region's health-care providers an opportunity to share best practices for health-care delivery in Northern, rural and remote communities.

Much of the research in the health-care sector is focused on evaluating policies and procedures to optimize care, said NOSM Associate Dean of Research, Dr. Gregory Ross.

"You may be working on research at your home institution or hospital and making some great breakthroughs, but it's not good enough just to do the research. You also have to communicate it to other people so you can affect policy."

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine's mandate also extends to offering health-care providers assistance with the design and execution of research programs through workshops and collaboration with the school's faculty.

Delivering health care in Wawa is very different from delivering health care on University Avenue in Toronto, said Ross. The Northern Health Research Conference allows health-care providers in the North to focus on the challenges unique to the region, including issues relating to the delivery of care to First Nation communities.