A&L and the Ontario Medical Student Bursary Fund

In February 2000, the OMA and OMF celebrate the official launch of the Ontario Medical Student Bursary Fund (OMSBF), established to assist the medical students of today and tomorrow in achieving their academic goals.  The fundamental purpose of the Ontario Medical Student Bursary Fund is to raise money for bursaries for Ontario medical students who require financial assistance.  There is a large discrepancy between the cost of a medical education and the financial assistance available to fund it.  

Good programs of financial support for students are an important aspect to keeping medical education accessible to qualified students.  Of the 2000 medical students in Ontario's five medical schools, one third need additional funds each year to make ends meet.  If students are forced to borrow money, the debt incurred by the end of medical school could be $73,500.00 on average and in many cases may exceed $100,000.00 .  Because of this, graduates are considering moving to more lucrative areas to help reduce their debt load.  The province of Ontario is experiencing a severe physician shortage and forecasts suggest that the situation will only worsen.  By helping with the financial burden the OMA hopes to encourage graduates to practice in Ontario. 

The OMSBF Founders include A&L and some of the A&L family, Dr. Ciaran L.T. Kealy (Sudbury) & Dr. Chris McKibbon (Sudbury), Dr. Arthur D.F. Kidd (Windsor), and Dr. R. Renwick Mann (Peterborough), all of whom are in the Patron circle. 

Leaders in the Ontario medical community have volunteered to lead an intensive "campaign of campaigns" for the OMSBF over the next two years.  Ontario physicians will be contacted either by the OMF or by their participating Faculty of Medicine.  If you believe as A&L does that it is in society's interest to ensure that medicine remains a rewarding and affordable career accessible to students - based on their passion and academic performance, and not their financial status - then the OMF and Faculties of Medicine can provide you with an opportunity to contribute to this vision.