Dr. Michael Green has been named as the new incoming president, vice-chancellor, dean and CEO of NOSM University, formerly known as the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, said a news release Tuesday.
The university board of governors unanimously approved the appointment on June 13, said the release. Green's appointment will be effective Nov. 1.
Green will be taking over from Dr. Sarita Verma, who was appointed in July 2019. She became the second CEO at NOSM. She assumed that role from Dr. Roger Strasser, the school’s founding dean.
Verma said Green, whose medical specialty is family medicine, is known in the North.
“Dr. Green is no stranger to Northern Ontario,” Verma said in the release. “He is a highly-skilled family physician and rural generalist who spent eight years serving the communities of Moose Factory and Kashechewan. I know that NOSM University — and the North — will continue to be in very good hands.”
During his time in Moose Factory, Green completed a master’s degree in public health with a focus on health policy and management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, said the release.
In 2003, Green and his family moved to Kingston, where he began his academic career at Queen’s University. He served as the head and professor in the Department of Family Medicine and as a professor of Public Health Sciences and Policy Studies, among other roles, said NOSM.
In 2023, Dr. Green was elected the 70th President of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
While Green was being welcomed, NOSM also praised Verma for her contribution to the university.
“As we welcome Dr. Green to his new role, we also recognize the incredible impact Dr. Verma has made over the past five years,” said Sue LeBeau, chair of the NOSM University board of governors.
“I cannot overstate the degree to which her accomplishments have helped to shape NOSM University and the future of health equity in Northern Ontario.”
NOSM said since Verma arrived her tenure was “nothing short of transformative”.
During her time, Verma steered NOSM through the COVID-19 pandemic, the insolvency crisis at Laurentian University and successfully positioned NOSM University as Canada’s first independent medical university.
"This monumental achievement not only safeguarded the future of NOSM University but also set a new precedent for medical education in the country," said NOSM.
Green commented he intends to carry on the work initiated by Verma.
“I fully intend to build on the incredible work done by Dr. Verma and her team,” said Green.
“The relationships she has built and fostered across the North are my first priority, and I look forward to establishing roots of my own while we continue NOSM University’s mission: to improve the health of Northern Ontarians by being socially accountable in our education and research programs and advocating for health equity."