REGINA – The College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is celebrating the expansion of its Regina-based undergraduate medical doctor (MD) program with the grand opening of its new campus facilities. The ribbon cutting ceremony officially marks the expansion of the MD program in Regina to the full four years and celebrates the MD program being based in two Saskatchewan cities.
“Thank you to everyone who was involved in this project. Cutting the ribbon on this new facility would not have been possible without the support of our new partner, Hospitals of Regina Foundation, as well as additional stakeholders, faculty, and students,” said Dr. Gill White (MD), associate dean, College of Medicine Regina campus. “It is exciting to start this new chapter of medical education in Saskatchewan.”
A new classroom, study spaces and an anatomy lab have been added to the campus’s facilities to support the education and training requirements for all four years of the MD program. In August 2022, the campus welcomed its first cohort of Year 1 medical students. Years 2-4 of the program have been offered in Regina since 2012. The anatomy lab is made possible through a partnership between Hospitals of Regina Foundation and the USask College of Medicine. The lab will be outfitted with modern anatomy tools, equipment and IT, and is an important part of the medical school experience. Students will gain clinical skills and hands-on learning essential to their training.
“The foundation is pleased to celebrate the success of this exciting new partnership with the College of Medicine and support the medical students being trained right here in Regina. This investment is part of our mission to support the best health care possible for our southern Saskatchewan community,” said Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
The College of Medicine Regina campus, based at Regina General Hospital, is home to about 160 medical students and 100 residents. Among them is the new cohort of Year 1 students who began the MD program at the Regina campus in August 2022. In previous years, students completed the first year of their program in Saskatoon, then 40 of the class of 100 students would relocate to the Regina campus to finish their degrees. The goal of the program expansion is to avoid disruption of transitioning between campuses and attract more program applicants from southern Saskatchewan.
“The expansion of this campus will enhance the learning experience for the medical students and strengthen our ability to attract and retain physicians in southern Saskatchewan,” said Andrew Will, CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority. “By doing so, our partners at the University of Saskatchewan and the Hospitals of Regina Foundation are providing critical support to help us improve access to important everyday health services.”
Medical education in Regina started with a Family Medicine residency being offered in the city in 1974. Since then, the campus’s teaching and learning presence has expanded to include five residency programs, one enhanced skills program, and now the entire four-year undergraduate MD program.
Over the last 20 years, medical doctor education programs across the country have been transitioning to a more distributed approach to medical training to better support the care needs of all Canadians, while ensuring trainees have adequate access to a range of clinical learning opportunities.
— submitted by USask Media Relations
