CBMC Progress Updates

Last Updated: October 7, 2024

The Cape Breton Medical Campus (CBMC) is a proud partnership between Cape Breton University and the Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine with full support from the Government of Nova Scotia.

This strategic partnership will ensure more Nova Scotians have the opportunity to receive an exceptional medical education in their home province and will assist with the recruitment and retention of physicians to the Cape Breton region and rural Nova Scotia. With a focus on family medicine, the Cape Breton Medical Campus will provide training that will greatly benefit the health needs of many communities of Nova Scotians, including Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities, for generations to come.

Message from CBMC Leadership

Just over one year ago, we joined forces as the two largest educational institutions in Nova Scotia to assist our government and the great people of Nova Scotia. The goal was to help overcome barriers to access to family medicine in Cape Breton and other rural communities across our province. The answer was born when the idea of the Cape Breton Medical Campus became a reality.

Working together to make the Cape Breton Medical Campus possible has been an incredibly exciting and rewarding journey. Much work has taken place already, and yet there is much more to do in the coming months as we prepare to accept the first cohort of students in 2025.

Those students will become much-needed and much-valued family doctors in rural areas across our province and join the ranks of the exceptional physicians already working in Nova Scotia. This is an extremely important legacy from which Nova Scotians will benefit. We are very thankful that the Nova Scotia Government recognizes the need to move quickly in healthcare and continues to support this transformational healthcare project.

We look forward to continued engagement with physicians and community members in preparation for the campus opening. We have said from the beginning that healthy communities are thriving, and we are thrilled and grateful to contribute to Nova Scotia’s communities in this way.

Thank you for your continued support.

David C. Dingwall, CBU President and Vice-Chancellor 

Dr. David Anderson Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University

Construction Update

Construction of the Cape Breton Medical Campus is progressing smoothly, with several key milestones already achieved. Concrete foundations, stair towers and elevator shafts are in place along with underground piping. Throughout the summer, structural steel installation began and should be completed by mid-October as we watch the future medical campus come to life. Interior construction is set to begin in January 2025, with finishing details and landscaping to follow.

This time next year, our state-of-the-art Medical Campus will welcome students from across rural Nova Scotia to begin their training here in Cape Breton.

Hiring Progress

While the physical infrastructure of the Cape Breton Medical Campus is an exciting milestone, it is the dedicated healthcare professionals and staff who will truly bring the campus to life. As we approach the opening, our focus is on building a skilled and passionate team, with several key positions currently in the process of being filled and many new hires set to join us in the months ahead.

Those interested in becoming part of the Cape Breton Medical Campus team can view available opportunities at cbu.ca/careers.

Collaborative Healthcare Clinic

As part of the CBMC build, the former Nova Scotia Community College Marconi Campus will be renovated to house a collaborative care clinic. This community clinic will serve the primary care needs of 10,000 patients and provide new space for the clinical training of medical students.

Physician Engagement

Cape Breton Medical Campus staff have been regularly meeting with physicians to provide more information on the medical campus and the teaching opportunities available. Along with Physician Engagements in Cape Breton, there have been a number of consultations in communities across the mainland focused on establishing clerkship sites. Through our engagement and outreach, we have identified physicians who are interested and able to teach at the campus. Over the next year, these local physicians will be assigned to sections of the curriculum and become integral to training the first cohort of students in 2025.

Admissions

While the 2025 application process is now closed, we are pleased to announce that there was very strong interest by Nova Scotian residents to apply via the Rural Admissions Pathway.

The Rural Admissions Subcommittee will now have the difficult task of reviewing these applications, and recommendations will be made to the larger Dalhousie University admissions committee for the selection of the first class of CBMC students.

If you have questions, please email cbmc@cbu.ca. You can also sign up for future updates via the CBMC newsletter.