Since its inception, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has proudly defied traditional health professional education. Born of a grassroots movement by Northern Ontarians in need of health professionals, NOSM is a medical school like no other. One of NOSM’s main sites, Lakehead University is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, (population 117,000) on the shores of Lake Superior. Laurentian University, NOSM’s other main site, is located in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.