Canadore College is developing a suite of new programs related to medicinal cannabis in response to industry demand.
The North Bay college announced on Oct. 29 it has hired Dr. Pritesh Kumar, a research scientist specializing in pharmacology and toxicology with a focus on cannabinoid pharmacology, to lead development of the programming.
Programs will include workshops for the general public, professional development modules for health-care professionals, part-time courses and full-time postsecondary programs.
“We are very pleased to have Pritesh join our team to help lay the foundation for programs and research that will strengthen plant-based medicines and improve patient well-being,” George Burton, Canadore’s president and CEO, said in a news release.
“The Village at Canadore is committed to providing access to a breadth of health options rooted in Indigenous, Eastern and Western wellness practices and this work supports these principles.”
The Village is the school’s new multidisciplinary facility that brings together educational programming, patient treatment and applied research to form a continuum of care in one centre.
In addition to course development, Kumar will be responsible for establishing a cannabinoid analytical testing laboratory and cannabinoid genomics laboratory at Canadore. Goals include analyzing the efficacy of medicinal cannabis strains for specific treatments, determining optimal methods of transmission, isolating genomic virtues, and more.
Kumar starts his position at Canadore College on Nov. 1.
