On Sept. 2, 2025, the Northern Alberta Medical Program (NAMP) officially launched, welcoming its first cohort of thirty medical students in Grande Prairie, Alberta. This groundbreaking program decentralizes medical education, giving students the chance to train outside of urban centres while supporting communities that need physicians most.
The NAMP is an extension of the University of Alberta’s MD program and is hosted on Northwestern Polytechnic’s campus in Grande Prairie. It is Alberta’s first collaborative medical site and Canada’s northernmost medical program.
Planning for the NAMP began in the spring of 2024, when the Government of Alberta announced funding to open rural medical education sites. Fueled by a shared vision between the U of A and Northwestern Polytechnic, hundreds of staff have worked tirelessly on admissions, infrastructure, faculty recruitment and local coordination to make this program a reality.
Students in the NAMP will spend the first two years of classroom-based learning (pre-clerkship) in Grande Prairie and their final two years of clinic-based learning (clerkship) in communities across northern Alberta. Research shows physicians are more likely to practice where they train and the NAMP aims to create strong connections between future doctors and underserved communities in the north.
The launch event took place at Northwestern Polytechnic’s Health Education Centre, located inside Grande Prairie Regional Hospital. Students, faculty, healthcare leaders, government representatives, Indigenous community members and local residents all came together to celebrate a milestone moment for medical education. The room was full of energy as everyone marked the start of a program that will transform healthcare in northern Alberta, one student and one community at a time.
The launch began with a prayer from Elder Theresa Gladue, elder in residence at Northwestern Polytechnic.
Dr. Richard Martin is the inaugural Assistant Dean of the NAMP and a family physician practicing in Grande Prairie and northern Alberta for 32 years.
The Honourable Adrianna LaGrange, Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, spoke about ongoing efforts to strengthen health care in the north.
The Honourable Myles McDougall, Minister of Advanced Education, highlighted efforts to expand medical education opportunities in Alberta.
Dr. Vanessa Sheane, President and CEO of Northwestern Polytechnic.
Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn, Dean of the College of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
Mayor of the City of Grande Prairie, Jackie Clayton.
Minister Adrianna LaGrange, Mayor Jackie Clayton, NWP Development Officer Sherry Drysdale and Dean Brenda Hemmelgarn.
Dr. Richard Martin, Assistant Dean of the NAMP, Megan Stone, Dean of Health at Northwestern Polytechnic, and Holly Handfield, manager of the NAMP.
NAMP students, MD Class of 2029.