Contact: Caroline Cornish
207-662-5146 / [email protected]
PORTLAND, Maine 鈥� Maine Medical Center (MMC) will hold a virtual celebration on Saturday, May 2 to recognize the eighth cohort of Maine Track program students who graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston on April 24. After completing the program that includes classroom instruction in Boston with community-based practice in Maine, this year鈥檚 class of 40 will begin residencies this summer.
This year鈥檚 celebration is being held online in accordance with Maine Gov. Janet Mills鈥� stay-at-home order. Since students will be beginning their residencies soon, MMC and Tufts wanted to ensure that students鈥� accomplishments were recognized.
鈥淭hese students are entering medicine at a time when the importance of science and high-quality medical care has truly been in the spotlight,鈥� said Doug Sawyer, M.D., MMC鈥檚 Chief Academic Officer. 鈥淲hile we had to adjust the way we celebrate this year鈥檚 class, we look forward to seeing them contribute to the health of our state and nation in the years to come.鈥�
The Maine Track program is a partnership between MMC and Tufts that was formed 12 years ago to help address the shortage of doctors in Maine, provide financial assistance to aspiring medical students from Maine and develop an innovative curriculum focused on community-based education. Including the 2020 class, 280 physicians have graduated from the program since it began. While program participants are not required to practice in Maine, 48 percent of graduates who have completed their residencies, fellowships and military commitments were doing so as of the fall of 2019.
MMC鈥檚 annual Maine Track celebration marks the local recognition of medical school students who also will take part in a virtual graduation ceremony with Tufts on May 17. Beginning in June, nine Maine Track students and five other students from the Boston-based Tufts program will begin residencies at MMC.
鈥淚 feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of the Maine Track program,鈥� said Sydney Ford, M.D., the student speaker for the Class of 2020 during this weekend鈥檚 Celebration. 鈥淢aine Track鈥檚 hands-on clerkships not only prepared me well for residency, but involved me in the care of a community in ways that would not have been possible in a more traditional curriculum. I have received a strong education, but more importantly, I have gained a community and a family.鈥�
Members of the public who would like to watch the Maine Track celebration may do so at 11 a.m. on May 2 here:
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About Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Center (MMC), recognized as a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News and World Report for 2018-2019, is a complete health care resource for the people of Greater Portland and the entire state, as well as northern New England. Incorporated in 1868, MMC is the state鈥檚 largest medical center, licensed for 637 beds and employing nearly 8,700 people. MMC's unique role as both a community hospital and a referral center requires an unparalleled depth and breadth of services, including an active educational program and a world-class biomedical research center. As a nonprofit institution, Maine Medical Center provides nearly 23 percent of all the charity care delivered in Maine. MMC is part of the AOA体育平台 system, a growing family of health care services in northern New England. For more information, visit .