Rural and remote communities have long been challenging health care settings that rely on distant metropolises to supply their health workforce. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine, a pioneering faculty of medicine founded in 2005, was established to realize the potential of the rich learning environments found in such communities. This is the story of the establishment of a school of medicine that is part of a growing trend toward providing medical education that responds to the needs of remote populations and produces resourceful physicians capable of meeting those needs. Twelve contributors highlight the various aspects of the school's development and the unique opportunities it offers. The first new medical school in Canada in over thirty years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine provides a blueprint for those interested in an innovative approach to medical education. This collection provides a fascinating and detailed account of the challenges and rewards faced by those who insisted on creating a patient-centred, community-based, and culturally sensitive learning environment for the physicians of tomorrow. Contributors include Arnie Aberman (University of Toronto), Hoi Cheu (Laurentian University), Geoffrey Hudson (Northern Ontario School of Medicine), Dan Hunt (Liaison Committee on Medical Education, Washington, DC.), Jill Konkin (University of Alberta), Joel Lanphear (Northern Ontario School of Medicine), John Mulloy (MD, Northern Ontario), Raymond Pong (Laurentian University), Roger Strasser (Northern Ontario School of Medicine), Geoffrey Tesson (Laurentian University), John Whitfield (Lakehead University), and Dorothy Wright (Northern Ontario School of Medicine).