Brampton OKs grant for Ryerson School of Medicine
Plans are in the works to bring a school of medicine to Brampton.
On July 7, Brampton City Council voted in favour of providing a $1-million planning grant to help fund a future School of Medicine run by Ryerson University in the city. The funding will be used to support an official proposal to the Ontario government.
The funding announcement from the city matches a grant provided by the province to Ryerson University in March to develop the school. Ryerson’s proposal will detail the university’s approach to health education, with a focus on primary care, expanded use of technology to better meet patient needs, inter-professional practice and the provision of culturally sensitive care.
The funding also enables the university to collaborate with Brampton officials on identifying potential locations, including Brampton’s Innovation District, as the future site for the medical school. The university remains on track to deliver its proposal to the provincial government within 18 to 24 months.
“We are proud to have Brampton as our partner in expanding healthcare education in Ontario and we are grateful for this show of support,” said University president and vice-chancellor Mohamed Lachemi. “The new medical school will not only dramatically enhance the healthcare system in Brampton, but it will also build a foundation for a diverse pool of talent to thrive in healthcare and healthcare-related sectors across our province.”
The proposed school of medicine will be designed around five pillars: focusing on community centric primary care and the social determinants of health; providing culturally respectful 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 inter-professional networks of health care to achieve better outcomes for patients; and focusing on the aging and supporting seniors as a growing portion of our society gets older
“We welcome the expansion of more postsecondary opportunities to meet the needs of Brampton’s young, diverse and rapidly-growing community. This opportunity to invest in the Ryerson School of Medicine has come at a significant time for the city, as COVID-19 has intensified our need for equitable health care services,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. “The Ryerson School of Medicine in Brampton will ensure that the next generation of health care practitioners can train locally in our city, in programs like disease prevention and health promotion, home care, and acute care hospital services.”
Ryerson’s School of Medicine planning committee has completed the first phase of community consultations with the community. Its next step is to engage community stakeholders in Brampton, Peel and other regions. These consultations will engage leaders of community organizations, health care businesses, clinicians and clinical groups as well as connect with community groups, to understand their hopes and expectations for the school, and incorporate that feedback into planning.
Featured image: Nursing lab in Ryerson's Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex. (Tom Arban/Ryerson University)