Launched in October 2014, the Ottawa-Shanghai Joint School of Medicine (OSJSM) is the branch campus of the University of Ottawa and the outcome of its long-standing partnership with the Shanghai  Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM).
The foundations of a flagship partnership
The relationship with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM) and its affiliated hospitals dates back to 2011 with medical research collaborations between researchers from uOttawa and SJTUSM affiliated hospitals. These collaborations culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement in October 2013, effectively establishing $2M of joint funding in health research and innovation in medical education over a period of five years. As part of the Agreement, the partners in health committed to the creation of a joint medical school.

By March 2014, the partnership was elevated to new heights with the signing of a second Memorandum of Agreement for the development of a joint undergraduate medical education program (UGME). The joint program, which is designed to adopt the uOttawa’s UGME program, then received approval from the Ministry of Education in China. This laid the foundation for the inauguration of the world’s first Sino-Canadian joint medical school on October 17, 2014.