Ryerson University receives planning grant for medical school in Brampton

Ryerson University is embarking on a new chapter that will help shape the future of health care in Ontario. On Wednesday, the government of Ontario announced a planning grant that will support Ryerson in developing a proposal for a medical school in Brampton. The proposal will detail Ryerson’s approach to health education, with a focus on primary care, expanded use of technology to better meet patient needs, interprofessional practice and the provision of culturally competent care.

“We believe that Ryerson University can offer a new approach to medical education in Ontario - one that draws on our long track record in health education, our strong partnerships, our commitment to attracting diverse talent, and delivering career-ready graduates,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi. “Thanks to the support from our provincial government, Ryerson can build upon the strength and foundation of our faculty, researchers, and deep and broad community and industry partnerships to help shape the future of health care.”

Planning for a medical school at Ryerson is led by the School of Medicine Planning Committee. Chaired by Steven Liss, vice-president research and innovation, the committee oversees several internal working groups that will lead the process and ensure that the university is making coordinated decisions for program development, resource allocation and external regulatory compliance.

To ensure that a proposed School of Medicine aligns with the university’s values, goals and priorities a series of community consultations for Ryerson students, faculty, staff and alumni will begin this spring. The consultations will be led by the School of Medicine Planning Committee; details on these consultations will be shared in Ryerson Today in the coming weeks. 

A School of Medicine at Ryerson University will be designed around five pillars:

• Focusing on community centric primary care and the social determinants of health
• Providing culturally competent care to communities
• Leveraging innovation and technology in practices to improve quality of care and patient outcomes
• Providing future physicians with the skills to develop interprofessional networks of health care to achieve better outcomes for patients 
• Focusing on the aging and supporting seniors as a growing portion of our society gets older 

Ryerson’s proposal will include a detailed curriculum for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, research plan, and strategy for student placements as well as a specific operating and financial plan. The proposal will be developed in consultation with Ryerson’s external health education working group, the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and the Ontario Ministry of Health and community leaders in Brampton.

All Ryerson community members are strongly encouraged to join the university in shaping this next chapter by attending the upcoming consultations.