A Planetary Health Vision for NOSM U

When you imagine NOSM University 2-3 years from now, what comes to mind?

#1 Will our newly-minted University have greenwashed itself, but taken only token steps in the direction of genuine sustainability? Will we have clumsily stuck “Planetary Health” on to the CanMEDS teaching framework, and squeezed in a few pointers wherever curriculum time can be spared? Will our faculty and preceptors, students and residents, view it as just one more demand on their over-taxed attention spans and memory capacities? Will we have lost our determination and sense of urgency, when faced with institutional inertia and the often incremental pace of change?

OR

#2 Will all who are associated with NOSM University have recognized that climate change  is a health issue? That it’s having a disproportionate impact on Northern Ontario? Will our travel pledge have inspired faculty, staff and learners alike to improve their own health through active transportation? Will flying for meetings and conferences have become a rare event? Will the food served at NOSM events be plant-rich, good for both us and the planet? Will the entire CanMEDS teaching framework be steeped in Planetary Health principles, which are in fact principles of social, environmental, and health justice? Will we have built the needed commitment, knowledge, and skill within NOSM University’s faculty? Will our graduates go forth with the competencies required to practice in an era of global environmental change, and to be leaders in sustainability and the transition to clean energy? Will our efforts have spread well beyond NOSM University itself, impacting both health care in Northern Ontario, and the health of the people we serve? Will NOSM be seen as an example for other universities?

Take your pick, but I choose #2.