The Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity
Formerly the Centre for Social Accountability
The Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity — previously known as the Centre for Social Accountability — is a multidisciplinary centre of NOSM University dedicated to the improvement of health and wellness in Northern Ontario. Through policy leadership and advocacy, research and innovation, and education that better aligns medical training with community needs, the Centre is becoming a frontrunner in the improvement of sustainable equity, access, and population health outcomes. The national and international relevance of the Centre’s work will become recognized as its results are dispersed among practitioners, policy makers, and advocates in similarly challenged jurisdictions.
NOSM University and the Centre respectfully acknowledge that the entirety of the University’s wider campus of Northern Ontario is on the homelands of First Nations and Métis Peoples. The university buildings are located on the territory of Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay and the Anishinabek Nation, specifically Atikameksheng and Wahnapitae First Nations, in Sudbury.
The aim of the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity is to improve the health of Northern Ontarians while extending beyond NOSM University’s commitment to being socially accountable in our education and research programs and advocating for health equity. The Centre’s integrated approach in the areas of policy leadership and advocacy, research and innovation, education, and community impact will produce a deeper and broader understanding of a range of issues affecting population health outcomes both inside and outside of the medical system. In this way the Centre’s social accountability research defines and strengthens the work of NOSM University and its partners, making it more effective in the achievement of this critical mission.
The Medical Education Research Lab in the North (MERLIN) seeks to promote medical education research and scholarship in Northern Ontario. MERLIN will create opportunities for learning and dialogue around promising and emerging evidence-based practices in medical education, health professional education, as well as provide peer support to those engaging in research.
NORTHH is a practice-based research network that will support quality improvement and community research in primary care. It can help communities, physicians and practices, and policy-makers learn more about primary care in Northern Ontario.
The Nourishing Health Education Coalition is a space for collective action in support of Indigenous food sovereignty in Northern Ontario. The coalition is a calling-in for actionists who want to redefine current roles, strengthen food systems, and create sustainable change centered around the concept that food is medicine. To join the coalition or learn more email nourish@nosm.ca
The purpose of the SAFE for Health Institutions Project is to accelerate transformation towards a social accountability framework in healthcare service delivery. To empower health institutions to better identify and address the priority health needs, social needs and health inequities of the patients, populations and communities that they serve.
Through appreciative inquiry, deliberative dialogue and two-eyed seeing, AI-North seeks to: (1) Understand socially accountable Artificial Intelligence, (2) Identify strengths and gaps in Artificial Intelligence research in Northern Ontario, and (3) Help to build capacity for Artificial Intelligence research in Northern Ontario.
This research group brings together people who are leading health system transformation in Northern Ontario through research, education, and health care. Our group includes researchers, educators, health system administrators, physicians and health professionals, patients, learners, among others. Our group and our projects aim to support health system stakeholders at any point in the research lifecycle, from developing an idea into a research question to methods/analysis to knowledge translation.
The CREATE Project brings together researchers, educators, administrators, policy makers, institutions, and organizations from across Canada and beyond to both study and contribute to the development of a social accountability research movement.
Social accountability is not only found in medical schools and academic institutions, but is also increasingly being integrated into health service delivery. It is critical that this movement consider the different social, economic, cultural, and political determinants that influence the health status of citizens and society.
The One Health Alliance is a forum for interprofessional collaboration in addressing planetary health concerns impacting people, animals, and the environment. The alliance recognizes the interconnections between all life on earth and the interdependence of our collective well-being.
To join the alliance or learn more, email onehealth@nosm.ca
CityStudio Thunder Bay is a community-campus engagement strategy that allows for innovative solutions to address municipally identified challenges and opportunities. The goal of CityStudio Thunder Bay is to foster community collaboration and growth within the City of Thunder Bay, and strengthen partnerships across Confederation College, Lakehead University, and NOSM University. These collaborations are already sparking new ideas that benefit the academic, community and municipal sectors, while also providing students with meaningful real-life learning experiences.
Overview: The purpose of the 2025 National Center of Excellence Program is to support global leaders and their institutions in establishing a TUFH Chapter in their respective countries or regions.
Our diverse and dedicated team is comprised of passionate professionals driving impactful change in healthcare, research, and advocacy. With roles ranging from Clinical Lead to Student Research Assistant, our collective expertise spans social accountability, policy research, nursing, data analysis, and more.
team page
The Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity at NOSM University seeks energetic friends and affiliates who want to explore solutions and advocate for change to address local priority health and social needs. The Centre invites scientists, scholars, researchers, and practitioners to join our work towards socially accountable education and healthcare in the North.