Cape Breton University (CBU) is making strides in the medical education field with the opening of a new medical school this fall. The university has recently sent out letters of offer to 30 students who will be part of this exciting new program.
The new medical school will be housed in a brand new building at CBU, set to open in October. In the meantime, classes will be held in the old Nova Scotia Community College buildings next door until the new structure is completed. The medical school at CBU will be in collaboration with Dalhousie University’s medical school.
Dr. Jennifer Hall, senior associate dean of CBU’s medical campus, has assured that recent budget cuts at the university will not affect the medical program. She explained that the budget for the medical campus is separate and has been allocated as a priority initiative with its own dedicated budget.
Despite concerns from some local physicians about taking time away from their practices to teach, Dr. Hall has successfully recruited up to 45 doctors from the area to teach first-year students. She is also actively recruiting more physicians for the second year of the program.
Dr. Hall, who has a background in family medicine and medical education, emphasized the long history of medical education in Cape Breton. She highlighted the opportunity for students to learn about the medical needs of the local population, including Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities, which will be beneficial for practicing in rural settings throughout the province.
The curriculum for the medical program at CBU will include classes at the university for the first two years, followed by clinical placements in Cape Breton, rural Nova Scotia, and other parts of the Maritimes for the remaining two years. Students will also be required to sign a return-of-service agreement committing them to work in rural Nova Scotia for a set number of years after graduation.
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
Overall, the new medical school at Cape Breton University is an exciting development that will not only provide valuable medical education but also address the healthcare needs of underserved communities in the region. With a dedicated team of physicians and staff, the program is set to make a positive impact on the future of healthcare in Nova Scotia.
