Partnership between the Outaouais Health Board and McGill University – Outaouais campus Renewed for five years

Drazen Seslija

The Integrated Health and Social Services Centre of the Outaouais (CISSSO) and McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Outaouais Campus will continue their collaboration for the next five years. The two organizations announced the renewal of their partnership agreement, which allows cohorts of future physicians to complete their full medical training in the Outaouais region.

Thanks to the Outaouais Campus, which opened in 2021, students can now complete all four years of McGill University’s undergraduate medical program entirely in French in the region. The project is the result of a partnership between the CISSS de l’Outaouais and McGill University, established to strengthen medical training and help meet the needs of the regional health network. The renewal of the agreement will notably allow the University of Ottawa to continue welcoming cohorts of 38 medical students annually. Project leaders believe that the presence of health learners in the region fosters their integration into the Outaouais community and increases the likelihood that they will choose to practice their profession there after their studies. This approach is part of a collaboration that has united McGill University and Outaouais health institutions for over three decades.

A teaching clinic will be established in Buckingham

The announcement also includes a new project designed to strengthen clinical teaching in the eastern part of the region. A teaching clinic will be established at Papineau Hospital in Buckingham to accommodate medical students and resident physicians as part of their training.

This announcement comes at a time when the Outaouais region has been seeking for several years to improve access to healthcare and attract more professionals. The partners hope that maintaining this university collaboration will help train a new generation of qualified medical professionals while strengthening healthcare services in the region.

For the CISSSO and McGill University, the renewal of this agreement confirms their shared commitment to continuing the development of medical training in the Outaouais region.