Innovation Centre collaborating with clinical faculty to establish research program

NEWS RELEASE
SAULT STE MARIE INNOVATION CENTRE
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The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre and the Sault Ste. Marie Academic Medical Association have partnered together to facilitate the establishment and development of a local research program. Members of the association are faculty of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and share the vision of creating a healthier North.

The physician membership of the Sault Ste. Marie Academic Medical Association benefit from additional support and expertise to implement research ideas and projects directly related to improving health care in our community. The development of a research office, including local partnerships, has been a top priority for the Association.

“Local physicians have a lot of questions and ideas to improve the health of their patients and community. Our partnership with SSMIC is an important step in establishing a community based, socially accountable research program that will support these endeavors. We look forward to working with SSMIC to engage other organizations in our community to achieve our goals,” said Dr. Edward Hirvi, SSM AMA President.

“Our collaboration with the Innovation Centre will provide the opportunity to develop and conduct research in an effective, integrated, and collaborative setting. We hope to encourage novel ideas that can positively impact the community on an ongoing basis. The research program can provide the opportunity for local physicians to develop and implement research projects and we will provide resources to support ongoing and future research in Sault Ste. Marie,” explained Wendy Doda, SSM AMA Research Coordinator.

“The AMA creates an innovation pathway for physicians and researchers to explore their ideas in a synergistic setting within the SSMIC innovation environment. We expect that this partnership will entice more ideas to the surface and for that we are pleased to work within this partnership,” said Peter Bruijns, Executive Director of SSMIC.

About the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC)

The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) is a non-profit organization established in 1999 to function as a catalyst for economic development and diversification in the information technology and science knowledge-based sectors.

SSMIC’s mission is to drive business growth, facilitate research and commercialize innovation in globally significant areas of science and technology through partnerships, expert advice, community development, business incubation, youth outreach and sector development activities.

Key SSMIC business divisions include the Accelerator Hub, Acorn Information Solutions, Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN), C2C Business Support Services, YouLaunch, UP Lottery & Gaming, and Smart Energy.

About Sault Ste. Marie Academic Medical Association

The Sault Ste. Marie Academic Medical Association (SSM AMA) is a local education group (LEG) established in 2012 and funded by the Physician Clinical Teacher’s Association (PCTA). All members are clinical faculty with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

The SSM AMA is responsible for supporting faculty development, research, academic programming and clinical teaching in the Algoma District. The purpose of the LEG is to provide the physician clinical faculty with an organization structure to address the challenges of balancing the demands for the provision of academics and clinical services.

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