Exploring the Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition
- Sage Milne
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
The Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition (SOIC) was formed in June 2023. This coalition is a network of regional partners, including Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH), the Nuclear Innovation Institute and Huron County. Gateway CERH joined the coalition in October 2023, along with many organizations with a shared vision of building a collaborative network.
The SOIC aims to leverage partnerships and regional strengths to grow the regional supply of medical isotopes for long-term economic development, job creation and innovation. Gateway CERH is interested in aiding development for rural health promotion, expanding education, and facilitating innovative research.
Isotopes serve many functions, from acting as sterilizers of medical equipment to aiding in cancer treatment. Future applications of these tools continue to be explored!
Webinar – The Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition
On June 6th, 2025, Gateway CERH hosted a ZOOM webinar on “Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition: Our Isotope Advantage.”
This webinar featured keynote speaker Jessica Linthorne, President and CEO of the Nuclear Innovation Institute. Jessica Linthorne has a remarkable background in municipal and regional economic development, including achieving the award for the top economic development professional in 2021. She spoke on the possibilities for workforce development, research and the attraction of skilled professionals and industries to the area through regional partnerships.
Isotopes are a “just in time” industry. Networks for developing transports of isotopes to sites of medical intervention are very important and need to be timely for them to be effective tools. Dr. Karin Stephenson (Director of Nuclear Research and Education Support for Nuclear Operations and Facilities at McMaster University) was able to speak on the science of isotopes and the need for developing transportation networks.
Regional partnerships can facilitate new possibilities and discoveries. Dr. Leslie Walker (Gateway CERH Research Chair of Rural Artificial Intelligence) discussed future possibilities for leveraging tools such as artificial intelligence for isotope management. Trevor Bazinet (Mayor of the Town of Goderich) was able to bring the perspective of municipalities and what resources are available at the local level. Assets in the Town of Goderich include the local hospital system (Huron Health System) and the Goderich Airport.
This session was moderated by Grace Allen, Gateway CERH’s high school co-op student.
Watch the full webinar on YouTube:
Gateway CERH has previously discussed areas such as rural economic development in Disruption & the Workforce - Experiences of Employees & Employers During Covid-19 with keynote speaker, Dr. Leith Deacon
About Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health
Founded in 2008 in the community of Seaforth, ON, Gateway CERH is a not-for-profit rural health research organization run by a community-based volunteer board of directors. Gateway CERH's main mission is to better the health and quality of life of rural residents through research, education and communication. Learn more on the Gateway CERH website at: https://www.gatewayruralhealth.ca/ and follow on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube
A brief disclaimer: the views expressed in these lectures may not necessarily reflect Gateway CERH’s views or opinions, but we believe in providing a platform for a range of perspectives and thoughtful discussion.
Gateway CERH has a full library of lectures and information about the upcoming presentation that can be found on our website: https://www.gatewayruralhealth.ca/lectureseries
Or watch past lectures online on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GatewayCERH/videos
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