University of New England

Table of Contents Student Profile News & Events Current Students Maine Times Photo Albums Clinical Affairs Scholarships & Fellowships Alumni News Clubs and Organizations Meat & Potatoes Parting Shot

Student Profile

“While Empty Barrels Shout”: Firas Naji, MSII

A man in Syria contracts a disease.

Let’s say he has Type II diabetes caused from the exploding fast-food market imported from the United States. He’s reluctant to visit the public hospital because a rumor has spread that a visit to the hospital means certain death. Doctors there earn less than the local garbage man. So he waits out an illness he knows nothing about until his legs become diseased and gangrene threads its green cauliflowers up his calves and then he finally goes to the hospital but there is nothing they can do. So he dies. In the hospital. And his 11 brothers and sisters suck their teeth and tell their neighbors, “He died in the hospital, you know,” and the neighbors all swear that they would rather face torture than go there. 

Firas sighs. “You see, then, that the problem is not the actual state of the healthcare system in Syria, but the lack of proper education of the public.” Most of his extended family lives in Syria, and Firas is working on a Master’s in Public Health from UNC and will soon earn his Doctor of Osteopathy from UNECOM. “I think I can make a difference,” he says. “It is my duty to relieve suffering, both as a doctor and as a Muslim.”

Streams Like Jade

Sometimes it takes an effort to figure how UNECOM, tucked as it is on the coast of Maine, might engage a global role in healthcare. Other times, engagement comes walking through the door. Firas Naji is a second-year medical student who puts a friendly face on the concept of globalization. The ethnic Syrian from Raleigh, North Carolina, attends medical school in Southern Maine and intends someday to apply what he’s learned here to practice medicine in Syria. Last summer he completed research in Damascus and started a club on Facebook for Syrian youth who want to revitalize the ancient country’s crumbling healthcare system. The “Syrian Youth Development and Revitalization Association,” or SYDRA for short, is a non-profit group that Firas sparked with a simple question, “What would you change about Syria?”

It is worth mentioning first what is right about the country. Western media have done a fine job of presenting an imbalanced view of the region, Firas believes. While newspapers talk about Syria’s support of Iran and Hezbollah, they rarely highlight the cultural treasures and natural beauty of the state. Streams the color of jade course through the valleys, while ancient villages inhabited since biblical times perch upon hills and stone walls tumble beside groves of olive trees. Steam and spice fill bazaars as merchants sell kabobs, colored cloth, glassware, electronics, and yogurt. Hibiscus and bougainvillea adorn roadsides and gardens. To Firas, the climate is home and Syrians are friends and neighbors. “There is a preconception that the Middle East is unstable and shaken,” he says, “but I have gone to Syria every other summer since I was a child, and their people are no different than the people here.”

Most Muslims, says Firas, are generally concerned to live dignified and pure lives, with refined morals and high family values. His own family is large - each parent has at least half a dozen siblings - and many relatives are either physicians or engineers. Education is highly valued in Islam, Firas says, since seeking knowledge is a sacred duty of all Muslim men and women. Many Syrians are also socially conservative, including Syrian Christians, and they eschew questionable dating relationships. A moral lifestyle promotes hard work, Firas says: “If you don’t have to worry about dating or pop culture [as a young person], your priorities become your education and personal morality.”

Firas’ family emigrated from Syria in the mid 1980’s. Firas himself is a particularly observant Muslim who holds to an interpretation of Sharia law that includes a kosher diet, regular prayers, personal piety, and the acquisition of merit based upon good deeds. He finds that his classmates at UNECOM are open to learning about other faiths and are supportive of him as a person.

His father is an ER doc who performed his residency in Wilkes-Berry, Pennsylvania. Firas first decided he wanted to become a doctor after observing his father and talking with his physician friends: oncologists, anesthesiologists and family practice doctors. “We should all use our God-given gifts to help relieve others’ suffering,” he says. “Islam encourages you to relieve another person’s suffering or hardship, not only because that is righteous, but because it makes you more humble, more grateful, and strengthens your love for God.”

Laurel Soap for Errant Knights

Ethnically mixed, Syria is 70% Muslim, 12% Christian, and 18% other minorities including Jews, Yazidis, and Druze. Its capital of Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet. Firas once visited Ugarit, where the first recorded alphabet was developed. Small villages throughout Syria still cherish relics and artifacts from the Roman Empire and before. In fact, the village of Malula is one of the last places on earth where Aramaic is still spoken - the language of Jesus.

On the border of Turkey, in the 2,000-year-old Armenian village of Kassab, Firas encountered villagers who spoke five languages. Their family-owned businesses, dating back 400 years, produce olives and some of the best soap in the world, made from laurel leaves. In fact, it was at Kassab that Crusaders from Europe were first introduced to soap during the 11th century. Personal hygiene has rarely been a strong suit of men in mail.

Syria is hot in August. Many people take a siesta in the afternoon, then stay up late in the cool of the evening. “Once, I went outside at midnight in my pajamas to take out the trash,” Firas recalls, “and I thought, ‘No one will notice.’ But when I reached the street, it was like midday with all the people.” He feels that most Syrians live pleasant, social, and simple lives.

The Echo of Emptiness

Not that the Middle East is without complication. The fact of the matter is that both East and West have grappled with each other in the Age of Globalization, and the skirmishes have left their wounds. Some, of course, are gaping. Americans point to the blistered side of the U.S.S. Cole or the iconic images of a jetliner dissolving into the reflective glass of the World Trade Center’s South Tower. Many Muslims note the civilian carnage and instability wrought in Iraq during the Coalition occupation, or the seeming unconditional support of Israel during its pulverization of Lebanese infrastructure last summer. For each of these events there are conflicting voices, alternate interpretations, and plenty of anger to go around. Most sane people view all of it as an ongoing tragedy.

Sound remote? All of this becomes intensely personal for Firas, who - as an American with a Syrian heritage - seems caught in the middle of a culture war. It is a painful reality that his native country seems often misperceived by Western media and governments. “They think that all Muslims are the same, that what the Taliban does and what al-Qaida and suicide bombers in Iraq do are what I would do,” he says. Firas has large brown eyes and is soft-spoken and almost apologetic in conversation.

“There is a proverb that says, ‘An empty barrel makes the most noise,’” he reflects, “which means that the person with the least knowledge often makes the most impact or causes the most harm. Suicide bombings disturb me. That is a corruption of Islam. You are only allowed to fight someone who attacks you. In war, you shouldn’t even cut down a tree.” His voice, soothing in its argumentation, sounds incongruous for the topic. “Suicide bombers are a very small proportion of the population,” he continues. “It is one small minority’s opinion. They feel justified because of intolerable circumstances. Unfortunately, they are making the most noise.” And the sound echoes loud.

Silent, Indiscriminate Killers

Yet while the empty barrels of society continue to shout, Firas chooses to focus on educating the Syrian population about the risks from other indiscriminate killers. “Diabetes and various forms of cancer have increased dramatically in Syria over the past 10 years,” he says. They are the silent killers that have begun to take a truly staggering toll on modern Syria. “Previously, most Syrians cooked at home with olive oil and animal fats. Today, 70% of people are resorting to cheaper options,” Firas says. “Foods that are high in trans fats and hydrogenated oils have resulted in increasing rates of obesity, Type II diabetes, and various forms of cancer.” Such a marked increase in disease incidence would put a strain on any country’s medical infrastructure, but it is only one of several major factors currently at play in Syria.

A good chunk of Syria’s population lives in Damascus – 5 million people – of whom 1.2 million are recent refugees from Iraq. That means that in the last four years, the population of Damascus has increased by 30%. “It exhausts the infrastructure and civil fabric of society,” Firas says. “There is no way that the hospitals can keep up with such large numbers. Although the public hospitals give free treatment, even to Iraqis, sometimes the quality of the healthcare is sacrificed.”

Many Syrians believe that private medical clinics are better, but in fact it is the same doctors working in both sectors – public and private. Since the socialized Syrian system pays public sector doctors less than garbage men, doctors are forced to moonlight to earn a livable wage, and the end result is an over-stretched corps of physicians who have very little time to interact with or educate patients. “There is no significant preventative healthcare or public health education in Syria,” Firas notes sadly. “The only health education comes from word-of-mouth.”

Enter the Teacher

All of this has created a society plunging toward healthcare crisis. This past summer, Firas attended three separate conferences to learn about the Syrian healthcare system, research efforts, and the effect of globalization. The conferences motivated him. “I wanted to learn what it is like to be a patient in Syria, especially a patient with diabetes,” he says. “So I went to an International Medical Exhibition to meet Syrian doctors and other health workers. I was able to talk with the president of the Syrian Diabetes Association, the president of the National Syrian Diabetes Program, and the director of the Cancer Registry.”

The meetings crystallized what Firas already suspected. “There was very little being done to educate the Syrian public about diabetes,” he says. “Physicians are being educated, but the problem is that patients will not go to the public hospitals because they think that they are low-quality. They end up going to over-worked private-sector physicians who in turn advise them to go back to the public hospitals for free insulin and counseling. They go, but they aren’t receiving any counseling or information on how to take care of their diabetes. The patients are lost in the middle.” And some patients refuse to step foot in a public hospital at all. “The middle class would often rather die than go,” Firas notes. “They are afraid of complications or unsanitary conditions, but the care is actually quite good. It is a lack of educating the patients.”

To follow up on his hunch, Firas attended the Syrian Endocrine Conference where he distributed a number of physician surveys. Results indicated that Syrian physicians felt the greatest obstacle to combating diabetes was a lack of educating the patient. A second issue also emerged. Once Syrian physicians graduate from medical school, they never need to take additional professional exams. Consequently, many physicians are not up to speed on current literature about disease prevention and patient education. The cycle of misinformation or a complete absence of information is vicious.

“You? What Can You Do?”

At the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) meeting in June (under the auspices of the Cleveland Clinic and his Excellency President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria) Firas attended lectures on “The Effect of Globalization on Public Health and Medicine.” He met with a doctor who plans to set up a Syrian version of JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) within the next 5-10 years. Such a project would provide incentives for all hospitals to provide the best-quality healthcare.

A conversation Firas had with the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health was a telling microcosm of the Syrian system, and it helps to explain why young Syrians want to change it. Firas asked the man, “How can I be of more help? How can Syrian college students improve the health care system?” The man noted Firas’ pre-doctoral status and replied, “You? What can you do? You can’t even treat people yet!” To which Firas quickly answered, “Well, treating patients isn’t the only way to help people – you can educate them, too.”

Education, Firas believes, is the key to health, and it fits with his MPH training and the overall osteopathic approach of whole-person wellness and preventative medicine. “I like equipping people with the right tools and then seeing them put those tools to use,” he says. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do. And with OMM, if you don’t have meds or equipment available, you still have your hands.” He is appalled that average Syrians would rather die than visit a public hospital. When he was living in Raleigh, Firas started a group for young scientists. It blossomed from 12 to 50 members in no time at all. He believes the time is now ripe to begin educating an entire country.

“Some Syrian doctors never go past their desks,” he says. “They aren’t motivated, they have low paychecks, and little knowledge of preventative medicine.” With such inertia to overcome, Firas hopes that other UNECOM students will get involved in global health concerns. “Any healthcare provider can make a huge impact, whether locally or abroad,” he insists. “I think that there will be many positive changes in the next 10 years.” Despite the empty barrels of society who seem intent on destroying themselves and others, Firas hopes that by educating Syrians – by filling up their barrels - a major health crisis can be averted and his country can be spared from widespread suffering and discontent.

In the end, he hopes that there will be fewer and fewer empty barrels to shout.

- Steve Smith, RSAS  

Mosque at night. Photo by Firas Naji, MSII.

[Editor's Note: For many more pictures from Syria, check out the Photo Album section at the bottom of this page.]

return to Table of Contents

 

 

News and Events

Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Photo by Jackie Cianciosi, MSI.

White Coat Ceremony Held On October 4th

UNECOM’s eleventh annual White Coat Ceremony was held at 7pm on Thursday, October 4, at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland. A reception followed in the Casco Bay Exhibition Hall. Over 1,000 friends, family members, and dignitaries attended the event, making it one of the largest UNECOM White Coat Ceremonies ever.

Event highlights included presentation of the white coats by members of the second-year class; remarks by John Peterson, D.O., UNECOM '82; a speech by second-year medical student Mike Dominello, president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA); and a reading of the Osteopathic Oath by Charlotte Paolini, D.O. (UNECOM ‘89), president of the UNECOM Alumni Board.

In his remarks, Dr. Peterson reflected on coming to the new medical school in 1978 as one of the members of the first entering class. "There was no one to look up to," he said, "no one to tell us, 'You'll get through it; it's not so bad.'" When he entered his residency, Dr. Peterson didn't know how he measured up against students from other, more established schools. After a time, that anxiety wore off. "I remember one of my peers telling me, 'John, when you're on call, we know that everyone here is in good hands,' " he said, "And I realized, 'Hey, we really were well-trained at NECOM.' " He encouraged current students to continue the tradition of excellence and to get involved in the AOA in order to help steer the future of the profession.

Student doctor Dominello reminded the first-year class that they are among the "best of the best," and elicited a flurry of head-turning and quiet gasps in the audience when he remarked that the 124 MSI students had been selected from an applicant pool of 3200. He asked the audience to think about what "excellence" means. "So what is excellence, really?" he queried. "Long, caffeinated nights in the anatomy lab? A smile and a compliment? Persistence? Integrity? Dr. Reuben Bell's Wednesday morning EOM lectures?"  

He went on to share a story a friend had told him about a restaurant manager in New York who seemed to be a perpetual optimist. "Jerry [the manager] was always in a great mood and always had something positive to say," Dominello said. He was so beloved for his great attitude that several waiters followed him around from restaurant to restaurant, just so they could continue to work with him. One morning, Jerry was accosted by robbers in his restaurant and was shot when his hand slipped from the lock on the safe. Rushed to the trauma center, Jerry realized by the looks on the doctors' faces that they had given him up for dead. He realized that he could decide to live or die, and he made the choice to live. He also made the choice to influence those around him positively, even as he lay on the gurney in his own blood. Shouting questions, a big, burly nurse asked Jerry if he had any allergies. "Yes," Jerry replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for his reply. He took a deep breath and shouted as loudly as he could, "Bullets!"

The audience chuckled and Dominello continued Jerry's story. "Over the doctors' laughter I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'" After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was back at his job in the restaurant.  Dominello reminded the audience that excellence is a choice - a conscious cultivation of high standards, a positive attitude, and enthusiasm - which will impact our own lives and those around us. "Dream big," he concluded, "start small, because after all - a goal is just a dream with a deadline."     

The White Coat Ceremony was an idea conceived by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to create a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in medicine. The first White Coat Ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Since then, more than 100 other medical schools in the U.S. and abroad have initiated a similar ceremony.

- Steve Smith, RSAS

 

Dean Kelley poses with Anatomy/OMM Fellows (L-R) Kendra Emery, James Andriotakes, Sarah Shepherd, and Cindy Norton at the White Coat Ceremony. Photo by Steve Smith, RSAS.

 

 

UNECOM AOA/Alumni Weekend Events

The first week in October is a busy week for UNECOM.

UNECOM will have a heavy presence at the AOA Annual Convention and Scientific Seminar in San Diego from September 30-October 4. On Monday, October 1, UNECOM will host an Alumni Luncheon at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, starting at 1:15pm. In the evening of the same day, UNECOM will host a reception at the Marriott from 6-8pm.

Back on the East Coast, the UNECOM Fall Reunion and CME Weekend will run from October 5-6 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland, Maine.

This year’s focus is on the classes of ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97 and 2002. In particular, UNECOM celebrates its first 25th reunion with the class of 1982. The UNECOM Alumni Association will have its annual meeting at 12:30pm on Oct. 5, and the Founders’ Reception and Dinner will start at 5:15pm.

On Saturday, there will be the Dean’s Luncheon and an Alumni reception and cocktail hour prior to reunion class socials at various local restaurants.

Finally, on Sunday, Oct. 7th, groundbreaking for the UNECOM Biomedical Research Building will happen at 10am, followed by a champagne brunch.

 

 

UNE hosts groundbreaking ceremony for Pickus Center for Biomedical Research Oct. 7th

The University of New England is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the Pickus Center for Biomedical Research Sunday Oct. 7, 2007 at 10:00 a.m., under the tent, across Hills Beach Road from Stella Maris Hall at the University Campus.

The center is named in recognition of Owen Pickus, D.O. and trustee of UNE, and his wife Geraldine Ollila-Pickus '88, D.O. '93, whose $1 million challenge grant got the campaign started and made the prospect of this important facility a reality.

The groundbreaking has also been made possible by the major gifts of Peter Morgane, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of pharmacology at the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Morgane presented the University with a gift of $1 million, along with an additional $300,000 fundraising challenge that must be met by the end of 2007. The gifts are both given in memory of Morgane’s late wife, Cécile.

The new state-of-the-art biomedical research facility, part of UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM), will eventually house ten or more teams conducting important biomedical research. The facility will allow UNECOM's faculty to dedicate themselves to educating physicians and advancing the practice of medicine, while giving students greater opportunities to experience research as part of their medical studies. It will be located across the street from the Harold Alfond Center for the Life Sciences, which houses UNECOM classes and labs, and Stella Maris Hall.

For more information on the biomedical research building campaign, visit www.une.edu/giving/com.asp or contact Erin A. Peck, associate director of development, at (207) 221-4598.

 

 

Physiology researcher Ian Meng awarded $1.2 million grant to fund rebound headache research
 
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) associate physiology professor, Ian Meng, Ph.D., was recently awarded a $1.2 million, four-year federal research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to conduct research on the causes of medication overuse, or rebound, headache. 
 
Medication overuse headache is a chronic daily headache that occurs in individuals who overuse drugs taken to treat their migraines. It is estimated that more than 2 percent of the general population suffers from this type of headache. Meng’s research project will examine the brain following prolonged drug exposure to determine how specific changes in the pain system can increase headache frequency. 
 
Meng conducts research on the mechanisms underlying the suppression and facilitation of pain. In particular, he is interested in the processes involved in the progression of migraine headache to chronic daily headache.  Risk factors involved in migraine transformation include medication overuse, stress, depression and obesity. 
 
Meng came to UNECOM in 2003 from the University of California, San Francisco's Department of Neurology.
 
NIDA
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of the NIDA is to lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. This charge has two critical components.  The first is the strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines.  The second is ensuring the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly improve prevention, treatment and policy as it relates to drug abuse and addiction.

- University Relations

 

 

Post-Gross Toast Info

The Sigma Sigma Phi honor society is planning the traditional Post Gross Toast for Friday, October 26, from 5-6pm in the Campus Center multi-purpose rooms. A bonfire will follow in the fire pit down by the kiosk.

The Post Gross Toast celebrates the end of Gross Anatomy; widely considered the most challenging course at medical school. Professors and fellows congratulate the first year class for their hard work, and also recount the various apocryphal stories that never quite made it into official records. The Toast is designed as a healthy way for the sleep-deprived and anxiety-ridden students to achieve catharsis in ways other than burning cars or rioting in the streets.

 

 

Parking Patience/Future Construction

With multiple construction sites in the works and several small parking lots or portions of lots being taken off-line, students are reminded to think creatively and proactively when it comes to parking. Car-pooling is an immediate help, and also saves on gas money. Students also are encouraged to try the new shuttle bus system, with parking in Saco and downtown Biddeford.

It is easy to complain about the scarcity of parking spaces, but it is exciting to realize that two new buildings will be functioning by next fall, with another academic building on the way. The University of New England is heading in the right direction, and its quick growth has resulted in temporary growing pains. Let’s all work together to find creative solutions to this current dilemma.

 

 

Medical school adds online master's degree in medical education leadership

The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine recently added a new online master of science in medical education leadership degree (MMEL) to its programs. Developed jointly by UNECOM and the Office of Medical Education at Maine Medical Center, the program will prepare medical and health professionals to grow as educators and leaders in academic settings.

The first online course of the program will begin in January 2008.

The 33-credit hour curriculum is designed to enhance students' skills in a variety of areas through professional application and scholarship including curriculum, instruction, assessment, personnel development, organizational development, leadership skills, research and evaluation.

In addition to academic courses, students will develop an electronic professional portfolio as evidence of their competence in eight medical educational leadership standards.

 

 

Shuttle Bus Info

There is a public transit bus service between the University Campus in Biddeford and downtown Biddeford and Saco. The service began on September 4, 2007, and is free to all UNE students, faculty and staff who show a valid UNE identification card. Rides for the general public will cost $1.25 each way.
The Nor’easter Express operates seven days a week during the academic year.

Parking and Bus Stops: 
1.Biddeford -  Jefferson and Washington St. Parking lot
2.Saco -  Saco Train Station Parking lot

Destination: UNE Campus Center

There is a bus that leaves from downtown Biddeford at 7:25am and gets to campus at 7:45am.

For additional schedule information go to
http://www.shuttlebus-zoom.com/UNE.pdf

 

 

Shuttle Bus Comments by Dr. David Mokler, UNECOM Pharmacology Professor

When did you start using the shuttle bus?
I started using the shuttle bus 3 weeks ago.

What time is your normal commute (to and from UNE)?
I usually take the 7:30am shuttle and come home at 4:30pm.

Has the shuttle bus been on time?
On time every time...and because I live on Pool Road it picks me up at my house and drops me off there. If you are on the route, it will pick you up anywhere along the route. This needs to be put out there.

About how many people use the shuttle bus, when you have ridden on it?
Usually between 5 and 10. We will have more with time.

Any challenges this system has posed?
None. Just getting used to a schedule.

Do you think that more people could/should make use of this system? Why or why not?
Yes. I have heard so many excuses why they cannot do it. It would help even if it were a couple of days a week.

Any other thoughts, comments?
Great system; needs some time to show its true worth.

 

 

Dean’s Search Update

Dear Colleagues, 
 
The committee and search firm are continuing with reference checks and committee based interviews. We expect to bring candidates to campus in early November for interviews with the UNECOM community.
 
We continue to receive applicants and nominations, which we are pursuing appropriately. Thank you for your continued support and interest in this process.
 
Sincerely, Jane Carreiro, on behalf of the committee
 
Jane E. Carreiro, D.O.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine

 

 

Health Center Changes

In order to better meet student health and wellness needs, the UNE Student Health Centers on both the Westbrook College and University campuses are undergoing renovations. Besides the new look, we are also undergoing changes in staff. Steve Petrin, NP, will be leaving UNE as of September 21st to pursue other opportunities in the local community.

Please join me in wishing Steve all the best in his new endeavors, and in thanking him for his service and commitment to our students and other patients at the Petts Health Center. To ensure a smooth transition and access to health care services, the UC Student health Center will be staffed with a locums nurse practitioner with significant experience in student health. Karen Kutchera, NP, began working last week at the Petts Center, and hours of operation will be as scheduled for this year.

UHC is committed to providing high quality, accessible student health care to all of our students. Once the construction is complete, we will host an open house for students, staff, and others at the student health centers, to highlight the services that are available to all students at UNE. I look forward to seeing you there!

Regards,
Jackie Cawley, D.O., Interim Dean of UNECOM

 

 

MatureCare and UHC are pleased to welcome Daniel Pierce D.O. to the MatureCare practice 

Daniel Pierce graduated from UNECOM in 1990. He has been practicing Family Medicine in the Waterville area since 1993. Dr. Pierce is a Certified Medical Director through AMDA and has been the Medical Director for Lakewood Nursing Facility for the past 12 years. 

Please join me in welcoming Dan to University Health Care's MatureCare. We are excited to have his wealth of knowledge, insight, and dedication to geriatrics in our practice.   

Mary Shabo
UNECOM Division on Aging
MatureCare Site Supervisor

 

 

Concurrent D.O./M.P.H. Degree? UNECOM Offers an Online Master of Public Health Degree

Consider an MPH degree: 

1.) Stop by the MPH program office and explore options for completing the concurrent degree.
2.) Discuss the financial aid options with Kathryn Blair-Enman, Associate Director, Graduate Financial Aid Office.
3.) Chat with fellow D.O. students who are currently in the MPH program.
4.) Assess your own progress in the D.O. program and enroll in a concurrent degree if you are satisfied with your current progression.  The D.O. /M.P.H. degree is not a substitute for solid academic achievement in the COM program.
5.) Evaluate if an MPH may be a good or great value added degree for YOU. Review the online affirmation by former COM Dean, Stephen Shannon, D.O., MPH, who describes what a Master of Public Health degree does for a physician, at www.une.edu/com/publichealth.

Easy application process:

1.) Pick-up short application form in Stella Maris 201
2.) Submit Resume
3.) Submit Goal statement

Review Process:

1.) MPH admission committee reviews all applications.
2.) Final academic review and approval by the COM Student Affairs committee.

Application Deadlines:

For Spring Admission: October 1
For Summer Admission: March 1
For Fall Admission: May 1

Contact Information:
Becky Whittemore, MPH, MN, FNP, Program Director
bwhittemore@une.edu  
(207) 602-2112 

For more information, visit the Graduate Public Health program office in Stella Maris 201.

 

 

UNE’S College of Pharmacy Granted Approval by Maine State Board of Education

The University of New England’s new College of Pharmacy has been granted unconditional approval by the Maine State Board of Education.

With 53 pre-pharmacy students having already begun the fall semester on UNE’s Biddeford campus, and the four-year Pharm.D. graduate program due to begin on the Westbrook College Campus in Portland in the fall of 2009, the College is well under way. Plans are also being made for construction of additional classroom space on the campus in Portland to begin no later than March 2008. In addition, the College is moving forward in the accreditation process with final application materials due in May of 2008.

UNE President Danielle Ripich, Ph.D. said, “Since our announcement early last Fall to found a College of Pharmacy, we are excited as we move ahead with our plans, and we look forward to working to meet this critical healthcare need for Maine and northern New England. We also plan to have research as a big part of our program and will build on our research in pain medications as well as medicines from the sea."

UNE’s College of Pharmacy has received several grants, the most recent being a $1 million lead grant from Hannaford Bros. Co. toward the construction of a clinical practice laboratory for the new College. In addition to that grant, Hannaford has provided the College with a “loaned” executive from Scarborough to assist in the College’s development. Mark Polli, a registered pharmacist who has worked at Hannaford for more than 30 years, joined the College on Tuesday, September 11 as Director of Pharmacy Experiential Programs. While in this position, Polli will remain an associate of Hannaford, but will be located on UNE’s Westbrook College Campus in Portland.

“A significant portion of our Pharm. D. curriculum will be devoted to experiential training in various pharmacy practice sites around Maine,” said John Cormier, Pharm.D., dean of the College. “The Director of Pharmacy Experiential Programs is one of the most critical positions for the College.”

In this new position, Polli will travel throughout the state of Maine in order to gather information about potential experiential training sites including the nature of the practice site (drugstore, supermarket pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, etc.), the site’s capacity to accommodate students, and the specific types of services the students will be exposed to at each site.

Mark Polli
 
Mark Polli has worked at Hannaford Bros. Co. since 1974, first joining the company as a staff pharmacist. He currently serves as Director of Pharmacy Professional Service, a position he has held since 2000. Polli serves on Maine’s State Board of Pharmacy, having done so for 10 years; is also a member of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, serving on their Policy Council; and is a member of the Maine Pharmacists Association as well as the New Hampshire and Vermont chain drug associations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston.

- University Relations

 

 

Geriatric Center Funded

We have received great news that our GEC has been funded as part of the new cycle that required all GECs to resubmit applications for review. Holly Korda, Ph.D., Judy Metcalf, Ann Summer and Charlotte Paolini, D.O. will be leading this initiative and they are to be commended for receiving this highly competitive award. It is important to UNE and to the region.

- Danielle N.Ripich, Ph.D., UNE President

return to Table of Contents

 

 

Current Students

Dan Sheps, MSII and Mitun Samanta, MSIII, kayak along the Maine Coast last summer. Photo courtesy Dan Sheps.

Third-Year Medical Student Awarded $2,000.00 Welch Scholars Grant

Suzanne McGrorty, a third-year medical student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 Welch Scholars Grant from the American Osteopathic Foundation.

The grant was established to provide monetary aid to osteopathic students entering their second-, third- or fourth-year of studies at an AOA accredited college/school of osteopathic medicine.

McGrorty, from Twenty-Nine Palms, California, was voted UNECOM “Student D.O. of the Year” during her second year of medical school, and was heavily involved in community service during her first two years. McGrorty helped organize a 5K “Turkey Trot” in November to raise funds for the Biddeford Free Clinic, and has volunteered at Camp Sunshine to help care for children with cancer. McGrorty was also selected to become an OMM/Anatomy Fellow, a highly competitive position that involves assisting professors in the instruction and training of first and second-year medical students.

The American Osteopathic Foundation has served the profession for over half a century as the philanthropic arm of the American Osteopathic Association. The mission of the AOF is to ensure the ideals of osteopathic medicine by initiating and supporting programs that enhance the profession, advance the quality of peoples’ health, and recognize excellence in the areas of education and research. 

 

 

Update Your Emergency Contact Info

Especially in light of recent security incidents at UNE, all COM students (including MSIII and MSIV) are reminded to update emergency contact information and permanent mailing addresses on U-Online. In the event of an emergency, the University may need to send out emails, phone calls, or text messages to students. Also, the University occasionally mails important information to students, and these items are sent to whichever address you have listed on U-Online. Failure to update your address in a timely manner may result in not receiving important information. Students who have questions about how to update their contact information may direct questions to Tracie Purcell in the RSAS Office (Tpurcell@une.edu; or 207-602-2329.)

 

 

First-Year Student Resteghini to Have Research Published

Nancy Resteghini, MSI, helped conduct research while she was at Tufts University. Primary author Dr. Nirupa Matthan and a team of researchers including Resteghini will see their paper published at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida. The manuscript title is, “Markers of Cholesterol Absorption and Synthesis in Individuals Without and With CHD Events During Treatment With Pravastatin: Insights from the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) Trial.”

return to Table of Contents

 

 

Maine Times

Pumpkin patch at Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, Maine. Photo by Steve Smith, RSAS

Trails, Rails, and Tails

If “farm” conjures images of slow-witted cattle, buzzing flies, and broken fences, you’ve never visited Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. The gorgeous 5,000-acre campus located northwest of Portland features 25K of hiking/skiing trails, manicured grounds, a bakery, guest houses, Visitors Center, YMCA fitness facility, bowling alley, perennial garden, stocked pond, equestrian center, prize-winning creamery, farm stand, and much, much more.

A hundred years ago, the campus was home to Maine’s “School for the Feeble-Minded,” an institution for mentally handicapped residents of Maine. The name changed, but the function remained the same up until 1996, when the State closed the establishment for lack of funding. In 2000, the Libra Foundation stepped in with a truckload of capital and the idea of developing a self-sustaining campus with non-profit and for-profit organizations mixed together.

Visitors to Pineland can see what a healthy influx of raw capital can do to a place. Part English Manor, part New England idyll, the farm is a pleasing mix of Old World class and New World non-chalance. Dutch Warmbloods race around the impressive equestrian center, pristine white fences march gamely across the hills, and pumpkins blink merrily from roadside gardens. The trail system is free for runners, but small fees are requested for mountain biking ($3 for a day pass) and Nordic skiing ($12 for a day pass.) Ski trails are groomed meticulously and are world class.

Make a day of it, bring a bag lunch, or visit Thompson’s Orchard a few miles over the hills from Pineland, where you can pick your own McIntosh and Cortland apples (seasonal), buy cider and homemade doughnuts, or procure some pumpkins to decorate your apartment. Winding, hilly roads offer spectacular views of trees nearing their peak fall colors. 

Medical students may find common ground with the Farms’ mission, which is “To provide a productive and educational venue that enriches the community by demonstrating responsible farming techniques, offering educational opportunities and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through recreation.” 

Tours of the equestrian center are available at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. The center is looking for volunteers to help with their therapeutic riding program. Stop in to the Visitors Center to get a map, or, to make the most of your visit, check out their beautiful and in-depth website to plan your trip and get directions at http://www.pinelandfarms.org/. The campus is about a 50-minute drive from UNE.

- Steve Smith, RSAS

[Editor's Note: For pictures of the Pineland Farms campus and Perennial Garden, look at the Photo Albums section below.]

return to Table of Contents

 

 

Photo Albums

The view out West. Photo by Michelle Stone, MSII

Click here for a slideshow of pictures from Syria, courtesy Firas Naji, MSII

Click here to see part of the campus at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, and take a peak at the Perennial Garden.

Click here to see more pictures from Steve Fosmire's adventure as an embedded resident at the Maine Veterans' Home this past summer. [See article in the September 2007 COMmunicator by clicking here.]

 

return to Table of Contents or, for page two of The COMmunicator, click here.

Copyright © UNECOM Office of Recruitment Student and Alumni Services. All rights reserved.

11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, ME 04005.  (207) 602-2329
Please send comments, suggestions, submissions, or warm chocolate chip cookies to Steve Smith at ssmith12@une.edu