A new partnership between the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine and Hospitals of Regina Foundation is set to benefit local healthcare in Regina and southern Saskatchewan. The College of Medicine Regina campus recently celebrated the grand opening of its new facilities at Regina’s General Hospital to accommodate the expansion of their program. For the first time ever, the MD program accepted forty first year medical students in August 2022, to begin their studies right here in Regina.
 
A new classroom, study spaces and an anatomy lab have been added to the campus to support the education and training requirements for all four years of the MD program. The anatomy lab is outfitted with modern anatomy tools, equipment and information technology, and is an important part of the medical school experience.
 
Historically, medical students would be required to take their first year of medical school at the College’s Saskatoon campus, and then years 2-4 would be available in Regina. The change will provide students the ability to complete their entire four year MD education in Regina, and will hopefully attract more students from southern Saskatchewan.  It will also help retain a greater number of medical school graduates upon completion of the program. Dr. Gill White, Associate Dean of College of Medicine, Regina Campus sees this as a win-win for everyone involved.
 
“We know that training future doctors is more important than ever, and we are grateful to Hospitals of Regina Foundation for its vision and generous investment in the education of southern Saskatchewan medical students.” Dr. White says.
 
“We are pleased to partner with the USask and the College of Medicine and invest $200,000 in this important initiative. Keeping southern Saskatchewan medical students close to home is better for families, for our community and ultimately for the future of patient care, right here at home,” says Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “This partnership signals a shared commitment to expanding medical education in Regina and southern Saskatchewan.”