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October 2007 COMmunicator Page II
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Clinical Affairs 
Tanya Hanke, MSIV, enjoys the scenery at her elective rotation in Alaska. Photo courtesy Tanya Hanke.
[Editor's Note: The following article is by Nick Tedesco, MSIII]
Boards and Wards: Boards Prep and Getting to Rotations
Boards Prep
For the COMLEX, make sure you know every bug and every drug. Dr. Reese’s key drug lists and handouts are the best resource you have – you will continue to use them in rotations. Every single COMLEX pharm question I had involved a drug from the key drug list. And almost every drug I’ve come across in the wards are on those drug lists. If you are going to memorize one thing in second year, make it pharmacology. It’s incredibly high yield for boards and wards. Furthermore, if you know all the pathways those drugs are involved with, mechanism of action, and adverse effects, you will also be set for the USMLE.
For the rest of COMLEX and USMLE, ABSOLUTELY use First Aid. First Aid provides you with the outline. Every disease, process, bug, and picture in that book is on boards. The problem is, boards asks all the questions about those things that aren’t in that book. So, as I said 
before, use it as the outline. You will need to add tons of notes to each disease and major heading. What I did was use Dr. Norton’s physiology notes, eMedicine, Robbin’s Pathology, and Harrison’s Internal Medicine. I looked up every disease in that book over the course of the year, working along with each system, and added everything those resources had to say about each thing into First Aid. Then, commit all that to memory for the systems tests and boards studying will just be a big review.
However, if you’re just taking COMLEX, skip the biochemistry section. There was not a single biochemistry question on anyone’s COMLEX test who I talked to. Biochemistry is, however, both sufficient and fair game for USMLE. You won’t need to add many notes to the biochem section for the USMLE as it’s fairly comprehensive. Also, although you will do very well on boards, you may not do so well in class with this method. So pick your battles – learn what you need to know for class, but have all of this information ready when it comes time for boards. Many of you might do well in class and poorly on boards and vice versa. They are both very different. So, you need to budget your time and learn the best of both worlds if you can figure out that balance.
Get Kaplan’s Q-bank. Don’t argue with this one. Don’t be cheap. Everyone’s in a lot of debt – a couple hundred dollars is nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands most of you are in debt for. Get Q-bank. GET Q-BANK. Starting in January I did 50 questions every Sunday with 3 other people so we could talk through the questions and get multiple brains and perspectives on the reasoning and answers. Then, when it was crunch time, I was doing questions every third day for review and practice. It’s the only chance you will have at legitimate practice for the actual exam. Plus, the questions were more difficult, I found, so you end up looking up and learning way more things than you may have thought about otherwise, further preparing you for the test content.
As for the osteopathic portion of COMLEX, I read the Savarese osteopathic review book, got everything I needed to know in osteopathy in about 8 hours, and had it totally memorized in a little over a day. You don't need an extended period of time to study for the osteopathic portion if you've done well in OPP. The treatments and many other things were taught well here in OPP, which greatly diminishes the amount you need to memorize and relearn. You will be surprised at how much you already know just from our OPP class. You will just need to learn some additional small facts, more cranial osteopathy, and viscerosomatic reflexes (which will be 25% or more of your osteopathic questions). That’s where Savarese comes in handy.
COMLEX vs. USMLE
The USMLE was all pathways, mechanisms, and interpretation. COMLEX, on the other hand was all straight-up memorization. Thus, they were totally different ways of asking for the same knowledge. For instance, a COMLEX question may be: “The mechanism of action of diltiazem is _____.” And the answer will be "it blocks L-type calcium channels."
The corresponding USMLE question would be more like: “Which of the following would be expected to increase in a cardiac cell of a patient on diltiazem compared to normal?” So then, you would have to know that it blocks the L-type calcium channels, and then you have to figure out what that means - less calcium in the cell, so there would be less contraction, therefore a lower amount of potassium 
efflux/sodium influx, therefore the answer is potassium. Potassium would remain high since the heart muscle is contracting less. In other words, COMLEX is all rote memorization of facts, while there's almost nothing you can memorize for the USMLE. You simply need to understand processes to be able to reason through the USMLE. As a result, the USMLE will take much longer to answer each question.
The USMLE focused much more on physiology and general science (more stuff from first year) while COMLEX was more systems based (more stuff from second year). There is MUCH more pharm and microbiology on COMLEX, but it's easier. For instance, this was a question I had on USMLE: "A normally healthy 24 year old medical student presents with pneumonia. Which of the following is the most likely cause?" So, you just have to know that Mycoplasma is the most common cause in that particular type of patient.
However, on COMLEX, they would be more likely to say, "A normally healthy 24 year old patient presents with a 4 week history of dry cough and low grade fever. Sputum cultures and gram stain are negative." Thus, they give more information that leads you to Mycoplasma. COMLEX gives answers away with things like gram stain, catalase, oxidase, etc., whereas with my USMLE, I saw almost none of that. I found they would be more likely to ask how a gram stain works (what's being stained in gram + that isn't in gram -) rather than give you a gram stain and have you interpret it. As for pharm, it is just like the example in the above paragraph about diltiazem, but there will be many more pharm questions on COMLEX than USMLE.
For COMLEX, there is much more you simply won’t know. If there is a question on a certain fact that you didn’t study, you won’t get it. On the USMLE, however, almost every question involves reasoning and stepping through multiple levels of a question. So almost every question you won’t know off the top of your head, but you can usually arrive at one of the given answer choices with the knowledge you have. You’ll miss questions when your reasoning is incorrect or you misinterpret a step in the answering process.
Preparing for Rotations
The best way to prepare for rotations is to call ahead. Call your rotation site and find out which doctor you’re working with, where and when you need to be, and what books or readings they recommend. Blueprints and PreTest are a good series of books for each major rotation if they have no suggestions. They are short, concise, and full of all the knowledge you will need for rotations. The PreTest series is a good booklet for each rotation that has nothing but test questions that are good practice for both boards and end-of-rotation Shelf exams. There is also a small book called USMLE Step 2 Secrets that is just a bunch of bullet-point, high yield facts for boards, but also very applicable to the wards.
FOD, EID, EOM, or whatever they call it these days will prepare you plenty for physical exam skills. Another good adjunct to this is the Bates book. Maxwell’s Handbook is a necessity that every single student, intern, and resident carries. It contains all kinds of information on labs, EKG’s, writing notes, and everything else clinically necessary. They gave us all one of these pocket-sized books during Capstone, so check to see if they’re doing that again before you buy one. Dr. Reese’s handouts and key drug lists with all my notes on there from the 
past two years are my primary references for pharmacology. They are very comprehensive.
I would recommend getting a PDA by the end of second year. It is not necessary, but it’s very convenient. The school package UNECOM offers has everything you need, and the Internet on the PDA will cover what you can’t find in the Skyscape programs. What makes it convenient is it puts every drug, disease, acronym, and word into one small reference. That’s why it’s convenient. But, it’s not necessary; they make every one of those books in the PDA programs in pocket-sized editions, but I prefer to save myself the ten pounds of books to carry around. I also like having the Internet as a resource at my fingertips for any other references I may need to look up. There’s no trap of being “dependent” on the PDA any more than being “dependent” on your pocket Scut Monkey, or pocket Robbin’s, so ignore that argument.
Learn how to put together a presentation and public speak. You will do at least one - and sometimes several - presentations for every rotation. There’s nothing worse than listening to a fumbling medical student trip over their words, mispronounce things, say incorrect things, or fill every gap with “um.” Everyone can be better than that. Look up word pronunciation. Cite sources so if it is incorrect information, you have someone else to blame. Learn how to project, enunciate, and speak with confidence. I know this goes without saying for many of you, but if you think your presentation skills are weak, start working on them now. You will look bad if you sound bad, no matter how intelligent you are.
The last prep I recommend for the wards is to do well on your boards. The more you memorize for boards, the better you’ll do on them. Also, the more you have memorized, the easier it is to recall that information in the wards. Any monkey can look up “metronidazole” or “aflatoxin” or “Cushing’s syndrome” on their PDA or pocket reference books. What will set you apart is the ability to recall that information straight away. Don’t blow off boards, don’t go into them hoping for “good enough”, and try not to forget what you’re learning. Everything you’re learning now you will need for the rest of your career, so you may as well commit it to memory sooner than later.
Rotations
Most of you already know (without realizing it) how to succeed in rotations - know your stuff and be nice. That’s it. Stay one step ahead of your physician by knowing about your patients and their afflictions and management ahead of time. Call ahead, get there early, whatever it takes to do this – do it. Read a chapter every night in Blueprints or whatever books you have. If you’re on surgery or medicine, read about your next day’s patients’ diseases.
In order to get any respect as a medical student, you have to do well, you have to be on time and stay late, your patients have to like you, and you have to be adamant to your nurses, residents, or attendings about doing things. Learn how to talk to patients, and more importantly, learn how to relate to them. Find something you have in common with every patient and you will reach him or her. If you can relate to the patient, you will get more out of the experience, you will help the patient more, and the patient will help themselves more simply because they will feel better about their care.
Everyone on hospital staff will dump on you – the nurses more so than anyone else. No one wants you around. As far as most people in the hospital are concerned, you’re a useless nuisance. So, show everyone what you know by showing that you’re willing and excited to learn. Be up to speed on the patients so you know exactly what’s happening next. And don’t take any of it personally. They don’t dislike you personally; they dislike medical students in general.
So be friendly, show you’re outgoing and intelligent, and show you’re not someone to be ignored. Jump in on every case (ask first), ask to 
do procedures or ask to be assigned to tasks - because no one will ask you. Offer to do any work you can. Few people other than residents will ask you to do something, so if you don’t ask you won’t be able to do much. Only you determine your education in rotations. You can learn, see, and do as little or as much as you want, but you have to make it happen.
Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center – Johnson City, New York
Wilson Memorial is a great hospital. It is one of the top 100 cardiac hospitals in the nation. They also are second only to Syracuse in upstate New York for neonatal intensive care, so the pediatrics here is phenomenal. The hospital has many new wings and is constantly updating the older buildings, making the hospital itself very nice and very high-tech. There is neither a room nor an elevator in the entire hospital that doesn’t pick up a wireless Internet or cell phone signal, making it easy and convenient to use cell phones, PDA’s, and computers throughout the entire building. There are student call rooms for taking overnight call; a media room that is open 24-hours; and a medical library with computers in the basement.
There are many medicine, pediatrics, and family practice interns and residents. You will encounter them on your rotations, which is actually a good thing. They are your primary teachers here, since the attending physicians’ time and patience are usually limited. Despite having the residents, for many of the rotations you are not “low-man on the totem pole.” For instance, you are actually expected to deliver five babies while on OB/Gyn, many of the surgeons ask you to suture in surgery closures, you will do advanced airways on anesthesiology, and you will be given your own patients to follow while on medicine.
The primary patient population seen at Wilson is low to middle socioeconomic status, with the majority being Caucasian Americans. There are many African Americans, but very few of Latin or Asian descent, and even fewer foreign populations. Alcohol abuse and drug use is very prominent in the area, but infectious disease is nowhere near the factor it is in other rotation sites such as Newark. The area of Johnson City itself is of old industry. Many old factories and businesses have closed or moved, leaving much of the area somewhat run-down and impoverished. However, the largest gym and the only mall in the tri-city area of Johnson City, Binghamton, and Vestal are only a two-minute drive from the hospital. Vestal is home to Binghamton University, making it more geared towards young people with many sports bars, Starbucks, shops, restaurants, and all the Wal-Mart/Target/etc. stores. Vestal is only about a five to ten minute drive away.
The housing at the hospital in Eckleberger Tower is adequate. It’s very large and right across the street from the hospital, but it’s a bit old and filthy. Currently, we have a pretty cool spider infestation, but hopefully that will clear up soon. The piping is very old and prone to problems, and the furniture needs to be covered up with shams, throws, or sheets because it’s pretty gross. Other than that though, they are very large rooms and are in a very convenient location. The building is also home to many of the colleagues you will be working with, making it easy to access them… whether they like it or not.
- Nick Tedesco, MSIII
MSIIIs Josh Mularella and Anne Newbold at the US Open. Photo courtesy Josh Mularella.
COMments from Rotations
I am doing my first rotation of my fourth year in Anchorage, Alaska, and I am loving it. I took August off to study for boards and spend time with my family. I am currently doing OMT with Dr. Perkins in Anchorage. I am the third UNECOM student to do OMT with him and he has wonderful things to say about the past UNECOM students and how we are trained. I am learning a new model of OMT called FDM (fascial distortion model) and I have seen it do amazing things. It is fairly new and not incorporated into many medical schools, but I plan on using it commonly in my practice in the future. I would like to see it taught one day at UNECOM.
I have fallen in love with Alaska and am applying to do my residency here (I am pretty sure most of Alaska counts as rural medicine.) I am enjoying fourth year more than third, because it gives me a chance to see the United States, see how others practice, and I am given a lot more responsibility. I have gotten a chance on weekends to hike mountains, climb glaciers and see moose (currently up to 5 sightings).
- Tanya Hanke, MSIV
It’s hard to imagine a place more opposite Biddeford in every way than Newark. The quaint neighborhoods and postcard beaches of Maine 
have been replaced with a disarray of congested streets, crumbling cement buildings and littered parking lots. Gone is that friendly lunchtime banter with Sea Star clerks; in this city you’re lucky to be greeted by anyone beyond the guy on the corner asking for change. I often find myself thinking that Newark really is the proverbial armpit of America. And yet, after one month here, I couldn’t be happier with this site.
On the first day of IM my resident told me, “I’ll take it easy on you today and just give you my most straight-forward patient to follow.” That patient was a homeless IV-drug abuser with HIV, Hepatitis C, infectious endocarditis and a MRSA uveitis. It hasn’t slowed down since; there is a huge amount of pathology in this hospital. As sad as that is for the patients, it also makes for an intense learning experience. IM days are usually 7-4 and busy, with a balance of clinic and lecture time. We follow 2-4 patients a day and write progress notes in their charts. We are allowed to draw blood, start IVs, get ABGs, participate in codes and observe any procedures that are happening throughout the day. The residents and attendings are, for the most part, approachable and eager to teach. It’s a great feeling to finally trade lecture halls for the hospital ward, and to interact with real patients.
In short, the hands-on clinical experience in Newark more than makes up for whatever it may lack in culture or beauty. Besides, our new home is a quick train from Manhattan (which means no more Friday night Mulligans-vs-Wonderbar debates, to say the least.) If you’re really adventurous, you can even live in the city and commute to Newark every day! MSIIs, if you’re itching to trade the rural life for a year of inner-city medicine, this is definitely the site for you.
- Steve Kelly, MSIII
The family practice rotation at Eastern Maine Medical Center has been a perfect way to start third year clinical rotations. I've been able to assist in prenatal care, diabetic counseling and even minor surgical procedures. I've also had a blast working with some of the osteopathic residents and physicians performing manipulation on the patients and treating everything from muscle pain to vertigo. The patients who come to the EMMC Family Practice center are from all different social and economic backgrounds, but their care is consistently top notch. I am routinely impressed by the commitment that these physicians have to each individual patient and their family.
Bangor has a lot to offer medical students, despite its size of only 30,000. A group of UNECOMers attended the American Folk Festival a couple weeks ago; and this past weekend we joined some Tufts medical students and hiked Cadillac Mountain in Acadia and then stuffed our faces with all-you-can-eat BBQ afterwards in Bar Harbor. There is some great mountain-biking and lots of opportunities to play outdoors. I can't say much about the impending winter in Bangor, but check back come December!
- Susannah Parke, MSIII
Scholarships and Fellowships
Blooms at Pineland Farms. Photo by Steve Smith, RSAS.
"Inside My Heart But Outside the Box: Thinking, to Change the Health Care Box"
Patch Adams, M.D., and the School for Designing a Society, invite you to attend our four day health care system design conference, "Inside My Heart But Outside the Box: Thinking to Change the Health Care Box," Oct. 11-14, Urbana, Illinois.
If you find the present health care system undesirable and unsustainable, and want tools, time, camaraderie, and positive examples for 
how to change it, this event is for you!
The 'thinking outside the box' design intensive is a working conference: along with speaker presentations, we offer teaching sessions and small work groups. Our 10-person team (including Patch Adams) is present for the four days, working with participants in large and small group settings.
All stakeholders in health care are welcome. Nurses, doctors, patients, claims adjusters, moms, students, pre-meds, teachers... the intensive specifically addresses those people who want to figure out "What else could be done in a health care system?" and, "How do we make it happen??"
This is a participation-based educational intensive. Over the four days there will be presentations, workshops, group sessions, and a clown trip to the local nursing home!
For more information and application go to
http://www.patchadams.org/education/healthcare_intensive/
Annenberg Physician Training Program in Addictions
Interested in an experiential training program to learn about what it’s like to be a patient with an addictive disease? As a participant in this program, you’ll be part of the patient milieu at a treatment facility, eat with patients, participate in groups with patients, and so forth. You will emulate a patient in order to learn through the eyes of a patient. That said, you will have a mentor to guide and help you in the process.
Program sites include Brooklyn, New York; Pueblo, Colorado; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Gainesville, Florida. The program starts in January 2008, and lasts for four weeks. All travel expenses are reimbursed. Some schools give elective credits; alternatively, students may receive a $1,000 stipend from the program. Room and board is also covered. This is a 24/7 program. You don’t have weekends or evenings “off,” any more than the patients do. It’s a challenge, but if you’re interested, contact us for an application at:
http://www.annenbergtraining.com/ or call 212-731-0755
William Osler Medal Essay Contest
The William Osler Medal is awarded annually for the best, unpublished essay on a medical historical topic written by a student enrolled in a school of medicine or osteopathy in the United States or Canada. First awarded in 1942, the medal commemorates Sir William Osler, who stimulated an interest in the humanities among medical students and physicians. The writer of the winning essay will be invited to attend the 2008 American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM) meeting. The essay (maximum 9,000 words, plus reasonable endnotes) must be entirely the work of one contestant.
For more information, check out www.histmed.org/Awards
American Medical Association (AMA) offers opportunities to medical students
National and Regional Student Research Forums
These annual forums offer young investigators the opportunity to present their research, receive meaningful feedback, and participate in scholarly discussions with peers and established scientists. Three regional forums are held prior to the national forum every year.
Western Student Medical Research Forum
Abstract deadline: Oct. 3, 2007
Forum date: Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 2008 in Monterey, Calif.
Midwest Student Biomedical Research Forum
Abstract deadline: Dec. 7, 2007
Forum date: Feb. 29-March 1, 2008 in Omaha, Neb.
Eastern-Atlantic Student Research Forum
Abstract deadline: Dec. 31, 2007
Early registration deadline: Nov. 30, 2007
Forum date: Feb. 27-March 1, 2008 in Miami
National Student Research Forum
Abstract deadline: TBD
Forum date: April 24-25, 2008 in Galveston, Texas
Seed Grant Research Program
This program provides $2,500 grants to medical students, physician residents and fellows in a variety of research areas, such as cardiovascular/pulmonary diseases, HIV/AIDS, leukemia, neoplastic diseases, and secondhand smoke.
Applications must be received before or on December 3, 2007 to be considered. Grant recipients will be announced in March 2008.
AMA Foundation Minority Scholars Award
In collaboration with the Minority Affairs Consortium (MAC), with support from the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, the AMA Foundation offers the Minority Scholars Award. Ten Minority Scholars Awards are awarded annually, each in the amount of a $10,000 scholarship. You must be a current first or second-year student and a permanent resident or citizen of the U.S. Eligible students of minority background include African American/Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino. Each medical school is invited to submit up to two nominees.
Applications available: February 2008
Nominations due: April 15, 2008
Recipients announced: June 2008
AMA Foundation Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship
These $10,000 scholarships reward current third-year medical students, who are entering their fourth-year of study. The selection of the recipients will be based on academic achievement and financial need. Multiple scholarships, funded by the AMA Foundation, the Audio-Digest Foundation, Johnson F. Hammond, MD Fund, and the Rock Sleyster, MD Fund will be awarded in 2008. Partial funding for this program is provided by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
• There will be eight Physicians of Tomorrow scholarships funded by the AMA Foundation.
• The recipient of the one Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship funded by the Audio-Digest Foundation should have an interest in "the communication of science." Activities such as mentoring and/or teaching are examples of "communication of science."
• The recipient of the one Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship funded by the Johnson F. Hammond, MD Fund should have an interest in and commitment to a career in medical journalism.
• The recipient of the one Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship funded by the Rock Sleyster, MD, Fund should have an interest in and 
commitment to a career in psychiatry.
Each medical school may submit one nomination for each of these scholarship opportunities. Thus, each school may submit up to four nominations in total.
Applications available: February 2008
Nominations due: May 31, 2008
Recipients announced: August 2008
AMA Foundation Scholars Fund
The AMA Alliance - the largest volunteer arm of the AMA raises money each year for medical schools to distribute to deserving students of their choice. The AMA Foundation tracks these donations for medical schools independently in separate accounts. Medical schools receive notification of funds available in March 2008. Each dean or dean's designate chooses scholarship recipients based on the funds available. Each Scholars Fund award must be at least $1,000. If a school does not have $1,000 in their account, the AMA Foundation will let funds accumulate until one full scholarship can be fulfilled.
Medical School submits recipients to Foundation: July 1, 2008
International Fellowship Program Seeks Applicants
The FIC/Ellison Overseas Fellowship Program is an exciting clinical research training experience for graduate level U.S. students in the health professions, sponsored by the NIH's Fogarty International Center (FIC) in partnership with The Ellison Medical Foundation, the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse. The Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health are managing the program, which is beginning its fifth year. The deadline for the program is December 14, 2007.
The program offers a one-year clinical research training experience to qualified students. This is an opportunity for highly motivated individuals to experience mentored research training at top-ranked NIH funded research centers in a diverse group of countries, including Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, China, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mali, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia.
To learn more and to obtain an application, please visit http://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/overseasfellowship/
AANS Medical Student Summer Fellowship Program
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is offering ten $2,500 fellowships to medical students who have completed one or two years of medical school and wish to spend a summer working in a neurosurgical laboratory, mentored by a neurosurgical investigator who is a member of the AANS.
Interested students should submit applications by February 1, 2008 to AANS Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, c/o AANS, 5550 Meadowbrook Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-3852, or e-mail application and all supporting documents to nref@aans.org.
For more information, call AANS at (toll free (888) 566-2267) or visit their website at http://www.aans.org/otheresearch/med_student_research.asp
The Harrison F. Aldrich, D.O./N.E.O.A. Student Loan
The New England Osteopathic Association (housed in the UNECOM Continuing Medical Education Office) makes funds available for UNECOM students (MS II, III and IV) in the form of low- or no-interest loans. Since its inception in 1982, the N.E.O.A. Student Loan Fund has awarded almost $175,000 to UNECOM students. As loans are repaid, new loans are awarded to current students in need. The loan recipient does not need to repay until completion of all post-graduate training, including residencies and fellowships, a time frame of approximately 6 years after graduation. Recipients who remain in New England to practice pay lower interest. The deadline to submit an application for the loan, which can be used for whatever purpose the student desires, whether that be books, groceries, emergencies, 
etc., is generally in the late summer to early fall. Students are eligible for a loan for each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years at UNECOM, which is included in the student’s overall financial aid package. Approval is usually completed within a few weeks of receipt of the application.
For more information, or to complete an application, see the UNE Financial Aid office, or contact Leslie Ingraham, CME Director, in the Office of Continuing Medical Education, Room 203, Stella Maris Building, by phone at 207-602-2125, or by email at lingraham@une.edu.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Graduate Science Education and Medical Research Training Program
Through its Graduate Science Education and Medical Research Training Program, HHMI seeks to expand the nation's pool of medically trained researchers; promote interdisciplinary, graduate-level research training; and integrate medicine into biomedical research training. The program also seeks to provide graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and newly independent scientists with courses and other resources that will help them succeed in their research careers.
Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students (Medical Fellows Program)
Medical, dental, and veterinary students from U.S. schools receive support for a year of full-time biomedical research training at an academic or nonprofit research institution in the United States or abroad if the mentor is affiliated with a U.S. institution. Fellowships are awarded through an annual competition.
HHMI-NIH Research Scholars (Cloister) Program
Medical, dental, and veterinary students from U.S. schools receive support for a year of full-time biomedical research training at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Students are selected through an annual competition. Selection of a mentor and project is made after arrival at the NIH. Scholars receive annual compensation, health insurance, moving expense reimbursement and many other benefits. A second year of research training is also possible.
Physician-Scientist Early Career Award
In this new competitive grant initiative, selected alumni of the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program and the HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students Program receive three-years of support as they begin their careers as independent physician-scientists.
To learn more about these lucrative and highly-competitive grants, check out the following site:
http://www.hhmi.org/grants/office/graduate//
Alumni News
They're not alumni yet, but with Jason Reid (out of picture to the left) at the grill, and Sarah White with tongs at the MSII BBQ, these med students are definitely on their way. Photo by James Gaffney, RSAS.
Alumni Profile
Touch a Million: Jacquelyn Cawley, D.O., UNECOM ‘89
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction. - John F. Kennedy
Kings and Queens of England
Long before she was interim dean of UNECOM, before she was president of this and vice-president of that, Jacquelyn Cawley sat rapt at the dinner table in Albany and listened to her father talk about the kings and queens of England. “He was a schoolteacher and a politician both,” she recalls, “as comfortable in the classroom as he was at a podium.” She grew to love the role of literature in life. Public speaking, politics, and education were in the air that she breathed.
Jackie’s mother helped write her father’s speeches, and the whole family went door-to-door or stumped for votes as Jackie’s dad entered 
the world of New York politics in the state legislature. Both parents worked on Jack Kennedy’s campaigns, then on Bobby’s, buying in to the democratic principles of social welfare and liberalism that the Boston men espoused. It was not difficult to see why the handsome fellows with their flashing smiles, fetching wives and big ideas had captured the imagination of a generation. Camelot, some thought, had come to Washington. The person on the street eyed the man on the moon. Anything could happen.
And anything did. Double assassinations crumbled Camelot, and the sudden, soaring triumph of the moon-landing launched national self-esteem into orbit. It was a bittersweet lesson about the clay feet of power and the risks and rewards of action. “Change is always scary,” Dean Cawley says, “but I am a catalyst for change. You need to have a clear sense of where you’re going so that people can see it and feel it. I want to help transform our health-care delivery system so that life is better for the community and for the patient. When you treat a patient, you help a person. When you change a system, you touch a million.”
Not On Her Knuckles
She was poor. Well, not poor, but at least strapped. Jackie had only $1,000 to pay for college, and it steered where she went. “I received a scholarship to Canisius College,” she recalls, “and then transferred to SUNY Buffalo for my last three years.” There was no doubt what she’d do – her family doc had made house visits when Jackie contracted chickenpox or cut her knee, and Jackie had developed a 15-year plan for herself to become a family-practice physician when she was just a candy-striper at St. Peter’s hospital – so she plunged into pre-medical studies with abandon. Her female housemates pursued allied health professions like nursing, PA, or PharmD programs, and Jackie got a sense for how those fields fit into the greater scheme of all things medical. But she was going to be a doctor, and no glass ceiling was going to stop her.
“I went into college with advanced credits,” she says, “which gave me the flexibility to take fascinating courses like medical ethics and medical history.” She became president of the pre-medical club, wrote poetry from time-to-time, kept physically fit after a high school career in dance and cheering, volunteered at the VA hospital, and worked in the on-campus lab. Over-committed? “I always get involved,” she laughs self-consciously. “I always get into things. It’s sort of my M.O.”
It was a different era in those days, and her determination was necessary. A young woman who wanted to become a physician had to really knock the props off her peers to stand out. It was a time when some female medical students had to sign waivers promising they wouldn’t become pregnant during rotations and certain men made snide remarks about the cognitive ability of women. “You must have been the smart one in your class,” they’d say, “you’re not dragging your knuckles on the ground.” Dean Cawley managed to lift her knuckles long enough to graduate near the top of her class.
“Whoa, This is Really Important.”
During her senior year, a guest speaker came from NYCOM. Jackie heard that he was an osteopathic physician. “What the heck is an osteopath?” she muttered. But when she heard him speak about physician-patient relationships, she sat up a bit straighter. “Wait a second,” she said, “that’s the type of doctor I would want to go to. Shouldn’t I become that sort of doctor?” Dean Cawley did some more research into osteopathy and then applied to osteopathic schools in the East.
UNECOM stole her heart. “When I came for the interview it was sunny, beautiful, and the people were so friendly,” she smiles. “There was a tremendous sense of community and camaraderie.” A letter came in the mail on December 23rd or 24th, and upon opening it, Dean Cawley learned that she had been accepted to that medical school in Maine. “I thought, ‘What a great Christmas present! I love that school!’” she recalls. “But my family was all like, ‘What the heck is an osteopath?’” Once they saw pictures of the beautiful location and 
learned from Jackie about osteopathy, they began to notice D.O.s all around the area.
Jackie entered in the fall of ’85 with 70 other terrified newbies, only 11 of whom were women. Anatomy professor Neal Cross immediately set everyone on a level playing field. “He scared us to death!” Dr. Cawley laughs, her eyes flashing. She loved school, studied like it was her job, and thrived in the tense academic setting. She also met her future husband, a second-year student, on the third day of school. “We were engaged by spring,” she says, “and studied together nearly every day.” But medical school was far more than academics and courtship. “You enter the Gross lab for the first time,” Dean Cawley remembers, “and there is the smell of formaldehyde. You see the bodies lying there, covered, but with perhaps a hand or an arm in view. And you realize, ‘Whoa, this is really important.’”
The Humanness of Medicine
She calls it “the humanness” of medicine. “I remember when I was doing my CORE rotations in Pennsylvania,” Jackie says, “and I met a woman who was dying of breast cancer. She had been diagnosed twenty years earlier, fought it, was in remission, and then the disease recurred. I was able to be a part of her life as she went through the whole cycle of getting a disease, fighting it with dignity – you know, just the strength of people – and I realized that this is what I wanted to do.”
Handed her diploma at graduation, Dean Cawley thought to herself, Ok, when do I learn to become a doctor? Even though she was near the top of her class, Jackie did not yet feel like a physician. “You learn most during internship,” she smiles. Hers was at UMDNJ, and then Stratford Hospitals across from Philly, as her husband also was an internist in the area. While there, Jackie began to take flak. “People would tell me, ‘You’re too smart to be a family practice doc,’” she recalls. “They’d say, ‘You should be an OB/GYN.’” Even today, those comments offend her.
“I have always been drawn to family practice,” she says, “where you get a chance potentially to care for the whole person, from birth to old age. Not only that, but it is multi-generational, and you can be caring for entire families, or entire neighborhoods and communities. It is amazing how much you can learn about a patient from others in their family.” Contextualizing is important for Dean Cawley, and it helps to explain both her love for family medicine and also her patience as an administrator. She is a careful, empathic listener who likes to think globally and systemically.
“I Can Do More By Leaving.”
It wasn’t long before both Dean Cawley and her husband began to look back at Maine. “My husband was doing work for Art Vanderburgh [clinical professor in biochemistry at UNECOM],” she says, “and I was asked to become a faculty member at the Petts Health Center on the UNE campus in Biddeford.” She began to see the need to enhance the quality of the Center, and when her administrative gifts became 
apparent, Jackie accepted the position of medical director at Petts. “You shouldn’t complain about things if you aren’t going to make changes,” she states. “Don’t bark if you won’t follow through and make a difference.”
Getting involved was a natural response for Dr. Cawley, as natural as breathing. “It wasn’t conscious,” she insists, “it was instilled from my parents. An active leader can make changes that affect everyone in the practice. I’d seen my dad get involved in politics from my earliest days. I suppose my kids are the same way now.” She became pregnant at that time with her first child, Katie, and towards the end of her term was asked a most unusual question. “Boyd Buser [former interim Dean of UNECOM] asked if he could use me as an example of how to treat a pregnant patient in OMM class!” Dean Cawley laughs. She agreed, sportingly, and still thinks it’s funny.
But having children also posed some challenges. “Things got hard,” Jackie admits. “Both my husband and I were working full time; my mother-in-law was ill and was living with us; and I wanted to spend more time with the kids. Plus, I was on call at multiple places and always, always seemed to be called at the strangest times. It really seemed overwhelming.” To throttle back seemed wise, so Dr. Cawley began to look for tamer time commitments. A part-time family practice position opened at Maine Medical Center in Portland, and the hours seemed promising. “I thought it would be more balanced,” she says, “but then they offered me a medical director position.”
An easy ‘no,’ right? Not for Jackie. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. “Maine Medical wouldn’t even let me in the door for residency,” she says, “and now they wanted to give me a medical director position? I thought to myself, As a woman, and as an osteopath, I have to do this. I can do more for the profession by leaving UNECOM.” She accepted the position, and found that it was slightly more balanced than her previous schedule. That was good, because her son C.J. came along, and life at home was more hectic than ever. There was always something to get involved in.
A Paver and a Melter
Over the next nine years, Jackie got involved in a lot. She was able to design a new building around patient flow, helped improve healthcare delivery, was the family practice medical director, and was elected president of the Maine Medical Center Staff. She was the first woman, and the first osteopath, ever to be elected to that office. “I feel like I was paving the way for those after me,” she says. Her highly developed people skills were refined even more during those years, and she learned how to work within established systems to achieve new and dramatic results.
Recalling the years when Maine Medical would not accept osteopathic residents, Dean Cawley set up a CORE rotation site at the hospital for UNECOM, increased the number of osteopathic residents, and encouraged the application and hire of osteopaths. Currently, there are more than 140 D.O.s on staff. What led to the precipitous reversal? “I think when you allow people to work side-by-side, their fears and mistrust melt away,” she surmises. M.D.s discovered the competence of D.O.s, and now there’s no turning back. Jackie likes that legacy.
After making such an impact at Maine Med, one could forgive Dean Cawley for staying comfortably in place and enjoying the fruits of her 
labor. But comfortability equals stagnation in Jackie’s book. “I was ready for a new role,” she says. When the family babysitter developed breast cancer, Jackie decided that it was time to step back for a while, spend more time with her kids, and develop some new ideas. Martin’s Point Healthcare in Portland was more than happy to take advantage of her skills. “They offered me a vice-president position,” she says, “which they had just created, so it intrigued me. It was going to give me a lot of experience with insurance and the business-side of health care.”
Dr. Cawley was able to re-work an entire health care management system focusing on health and wellness, patient self-management, and principles of physician leadership, while also developing a pilot study on team-based care. In short, Jackie was able to synthesize many of her interests and experiences in the public and private sectors, and have lots of fun in the process. Her name began to come up in conversations around the state as a catalyst for change in the healthcare realm - a person who could take a system and re-work it with fresh ideas to create a better product. And a better product is just what a former employer was looking for.
“Are You Crazy?”
At the AOA meeting last fall, new UNE President Danielle Ripich, and former UNECOM Dean Steve Shannon, approached Jackie to talk to her about throwing her hat into the ring of applicants for the dean’s position. She immediately declined. “I’m not an academic,” she protested, “I haven’t published anything.” But as she talked further with the two leaders, their vision began to resonate with her. “They spoke about enhancing the brand of the institution and its quality,” Dean Cawley recalls. She began to warm to the notion, but her husband cheerfully commented, “No way, Jackie, you’re not a dean.” The position seemed too fraught with complications.
In May, when the dean’s search had failed to produce a consensus candidate, President Ripich again approached Jackie with an offer, this time to take the reigns temporarily – just for a year – in order to effect change and then move on. “I had two weeks to decide,” Dr. Cawley says, “And my husband said, ‘Are you crazy?’ But I kept thinking about how it was a way that I could give back at a time when the school is reinventing itself and is charting a new trajectory. I kept thinking, What if? What if?” The opportunity for personal professional development, working with an entirely new constituency of people, and the potential to greatly impact the future of the school were too much to refuse. She accepted the position of interim Dean of UNECOM for the 2007-2008 academic year.
There was an immediate hue and cry. Some local osteopaths viewed the appointment as a back-door deal cut between a new president and an alum who some viewed as not friendly enough to osteopathy. Jackie couldn’t believe the accusations. As a person who blazed the trail for osteopathic physicians at Maine Medical Center, she was hurt by the charges. “It was very difficult initially,” she confesses. “I really had to stop looking for external approval and continue to follow my star. I was hired at Martin’s Point as a ‘change agent,’ and it was the same here at UNECOM. I think I’m the right person for right now. I may not be in the future, and that’s fine. But I think that trust develops over time.”
The Only Responsible Course
Dean Cawley’s goals for this year are ambitious. “We obviously want to have a continued strong commitment to the osteopathic 
community,” she states. “But the question is, how do we change for the future while maintaining our core commitments? What baggage needs to be jettisoned?” She has started a COM-specific strategic planning process in conjunction with the larger University-wide overhaul of mission, values, and goals. In her estimation, the process needs to be comprehensive, inclusive, and incisive. “We need to listen to folks,” she says. “There needs to be face-to-face time in order to understand where people are. What’s the best that we can be? Where are we at today? What is the gap between those two places? Most people want to close gaps like that when they see them, so we need to articulate them, give data to people, and understand what motivates them. Different groups have different needs. Usually, a process like this takes about three years.”
A concern, of course, is to avoid high-level meetings that fail to deliver significant changes. There needs to be an infusion of capital to effect change, and Dean Cawley’s vision is to ultimately see the health-care delivery system transformed at a fundamental level, starting with how osteopathic medical students are trained and equipped. “Students are our healthcare future,” she says. “We need to train them in a different way. Each student will eventually touch thousands of people. I see moving toward a new system of care integrated around primary care, patient-centered interaction, and the home-care model. It needs to be all about the patient: How can I make the person in front of me better?”
Change can be scary, but Jackie Cawley believes that not changing is even scarier. “Currently, as physicians, we earn more when a patient is sick,” she says. “That’s a paradox. We need to move toward outcome-based reimbursement and incentives, where the patient is given the info, tools, and support to be healthy, and physicians are compensated for promoting wellness rather than just treating illness. Physicians need to step up to the plate and lead this movement. We need to drive these changes in medicine. We need to be active agents, rather than spectators.” With the costs of healthcare in the United States rising exponentially, Dean Cawley believes that these changes are the only responsible course for osteopathic physicians to take.
And for herself? “I’d love to get my MPH,” she confesses with a laugh. It was John F. Kennedy who said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other,” and Dr. Cawley puts that into practice. “What will bring the most value?” she asks. “How can I impact the most people? I love to come up with crazy ideas and pilot them and get people on board. There are so many options as a physician; you always continue to grow. The key is to marry your passions with your path as a physician. We all have a purpose, and you begin to see what yours is and how it unfolds.”
In her case, it’s to touch a million.
- Steve Smith, RSAS
Brett Matthews, MSII, (in tank top) and Kevin Hsu, MSII (far right) solicit interested students for the Student Osteopathic Surgery Association (SOSA) during the Club and Organization Fair at Orientation in August. Photo by Steve Smith, RSAS.
Joy Palmer, D.O., ’05 Wins $5,000.00 AOA Research Fellowship
Joy Palmer, D.O., a recent UNECOM graduate and current third-year resident in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine at UNECOM, was recently awarded a $5,000.00 research fellowship from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA.)
AOA Research Fellowships are designed to generate and support research that develops and promotes an understanding of the philosophy, concepts and efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), and to develop and maintain the research capacity of the profession through support and training for researchers.
Dr. Palmer’s research project is entitled S.O.M.M.A. - Study of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine in the Management of Angina. It is a prospective, pilot, clinical study measuring the effectiveness of OMM in decreasing angina symptoms and amount of sub-lingual nitroglycerin used. Participants will receive an evaluation and treatment weekly for three visits, then every three weeks for three visits, for a total of six visits over three months. Dr. Palmer was made aware of the opportunity by Holly Korda, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Community Programs at UNECOM. Dr. Palmer’s research mentors are Doris Newman, D.O., UNECOM ’98, and Jeffrey Rosenblatt, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Joy (Ouellette) Palmer is a native of Van Buren, Maine. She earned her BS in Biomedical Sciences from Marquette University in 1998, and earned her Doctor of Osteopathy from UNECOM in 2005. While a student at UNECOM, Dr.Palmer served as an OMM/Anatomy fellow from 
2003-2004. Along with raising her family and establishing a practice, she plans to continue pursuing research in Osteopathy, and would love to become formally involved in Osteopathic medical education.
Bograkos Featured in San Diego Conventioneer at AOA
Col. William Bograkos, D.O., MC, FS, ARNG, UNECOM '85, was featured in a cover story of the San Diego Conventioneer on Monday, October 1, 2007.
Bograkos returned from Iraq recently and has treated numerous Iraqi war veterans who suffer from brain injuries and PTSD. Dr. Bograkos believes that primary care physicians "play a critical role in coordinating the care of patients returning from military service," and that PCPs should emphasize "personalized and patient-centered [care] with a focus on multi-dimensional interventions. Physicians can help facilitate smooth transitions home for patients and their families."
The Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Award
Purpose
The Jahnigen Scholars program offers two-year career development awards to support junior faculty in the specialties of anesthesiology, emergency medicine, general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, thoracic surgery, and urology. The award is intended to allow individuals to initiate and ultimately sustain a career in research and education in the geriatrics aspects of their discipline.
Each grant will provide two-year support of $75,000 per year for salary and fringe benefits and/or the costs of doing research. In 2005, due to funding guidelines from the supporting foundations, we instituted a requirement that each scholar's institution provide a minimum match of $25,000 per year. The application should delineate the source of the matching funding and the line item budget should provide information on the allocation of the matching funds in support of the Scholars work. Up to eleven awards will be given in 2007. The Jahnigen Award may not be used to support indirect costs.
Eligibility and Application Procedures
Nominations for the Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Program are to be made by the individual's departmental chair in any one of the following specialties: anesthesiology, emergency medicine, general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, thoracic surgery, or urology. Departments may submit one application. Institutions may submit more than one application.
Timetable
December 5, 2006: Deadline for receipt of completed applications
April 2, 2007: Announcement of the sixth cohort of Jahnigen Scholars
May 4 - May 5, 2007: Meeting of previous and newly selected Jahnigen Scholars
July 2, 2007: Start of the Scholars programs
For more information, check out:
http://www.americangeriatrics.org/hartford/jahnigenPF.shtml
Clubs and Organizations
Members of the UNECOM Pediatrics Club visited children at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland. Top row, L-R Jennifer Blau, MSI, Rob Parker, MSI, Cassidy Foley, MSII, and Erin Fitzgerald, MSI. Front L-R, MSIs Ken Bujold and Ed Silco. Photo courtesy Cassidy Foley, MSII.
UNECOM AMSA To Host Regional Conference in November
WELCOME ONE AND ALL to the 2007 AMSA regional conference! This year’s conference is entitled “People Treating People,” and features an amazing line-up of speakers and programming. Representatives of medical schools covering the territory from Virginia and Pennsylvania to Maine will be in attendance. Your very own UNECOM MSII students, Amanda Staples, Jeremy Force, Patrick Hohl, Rob Levine, Andy Ray, and a number of first-year medical students, have spent the last six months organizing this conference.
The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn By the Bay from November 9th-11th. The program will include a host of local and regional doctors, including our own Drs. Willard and Gugliucci, as well as casting, suturing, and OMM workshops. UNECOM students will have the most discounted rate of any students attending the conference, at $40 for the weekend. This includes two breakfasts and one lunch, access to all programs and the exhibition hall.
This is a great chance to network with other medical students from across the east coast, meet residency program coordinators, and learn more about critical issues that our profession faces in the years to come. We hope to see you all there. Please stay tuned for further announcements regarding registration.
- Andrew Ray, MSII, UNECOM AMSA president
Pediatrics Club Volunteers at Barbara Bush Center
The Pediatric Club is bringing first and second-year students to volunteer at The Barbara Bush Center at Maine Medical Center. We are planning to visit the children's floor once a month. On our visits, we bring crafts or activities to play with the kids. Our last visit was in September, where MSIs Rob Parker, Eddie Silco, Erin Fitzgerald, Ken Bujold, and Jennifer Blau joined me for some playtime with the kids. Our next visit will be at the beginning of October. I just wanted to let people outside of the Pediatric Club know that they are welcome to come with us. Just email Cassidy Foley at cfoley3@mail.une.edu to be added to the email list.
- Cassidy Foley, MSII, Pediatrics Club co-president
Club and Organization Events for October
[Editor's Note: These are the events that have been scheduled as of the end of September. More events will inevitably be approved and scheduled. Look for fliers or announcements via email for newly scheduled events.]
October 2-3 - Patient Assessment Lectures for Wilderness Medicine Club. Noontime in Alfond 304. Taught by Cathy Chamberlin, MSI.
October 6 - National Family Health & Fitness, "A Family Walk in the Woods" at the Kennebunkport Trail System. Low-key event primarily for families of medical students. Sponsored by the Sports Medicine Club. Contact Michelle Stone, MSII, or Steph Bristol, MSI, for more info.
October 8-12 - American Geriatrics Society Theme Week. Noontime lectures in ACHS. Contact Kim Salaycik, MSII, or Amber Hendricks, MSII, for more info.
October 9-10 - Patient Assessment Lectures for Wilderness Medicine Club. Noontime in Alfond 304. Taught by Cathy Chamberlin, MSI.
October 10 - "How to Succeed in Med School" noontime talk, by several MSIII and IV students. Sponsored by AMA. Contact Clara Karpovsky, MSI, for more info.
October 12 - Mentor Potluck and Treatment: Treatment focus on pectoral region for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Sponsored by NOWPA. Contact Josie Conte, MSII, for more info.
October 13 - MedWAR at Grafton Lakes State Park. Three teams sponsored by the Wilderness Medicine Club will compete in this competition against other medical teams. Contact Tad Lanagan, MSII, for more info.
October 15-19 - Medical Students For Choice Theme Week. Contact Ariel Tosi, MSII, for more info.
October 19 - D.O. Day of Compassion, sponsored by SGA. Contact Lacey McIntosh, MSII, for more info.
October 21-27 - Primary Care Week, sponsored by ACOFP. Contact Mark Umphrey, MSII, or Sarah White, MSII, for more info.
October 26 - Post Gross Toast, 5-6pm in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Rooms. Sponsored by Sigma Sigma Phi, the RSAS Office, SGA, and SOMA.
October 27 - Annual SGA Halloween Party. Will be held at Mulligan's Restaurant in Biddeford from 7-11pm. Contact Kim Salaycik, MSII, or JiaJia Gao, MSI, for more info.
October 29-November 2 - Integrative Medicine Theme Week with lunchtime lectures. Contact Sue White, MSII, or Kim Salaycik, MSII, for more info.
Your SGA Representatives:
| Steve Fosmire, MSII | Ande Betz, MSI |
| Max Opoku-Agyemang, MSII | JiaJia Gao, MSI |
| Marcey Osgood, MSII | Sidra Iqbal, MSI |
| Nick Nikolopoulos, MSII | Rachel Kester, MSI |
| Kim Salaycik, MSII | Samantha McGinnis, MSI |
| Stephanie Schneider, MSII | Nicholas Padavano, MSI |
| Shannon Scully, MSII | Michael Ross, MSI |
| Ryan Smith, MSII | Meg Rothman, MSI |
| Tara Wayt, MSII | Laura Viscome, MSI |
| Ahmad Yassin, MSII | Will Wong, MSI |
C&O Officers:
| SGA | Lacey McIntosh, MS II | NERC | Jeremy Force, MSII, and Despina Hoffman, MSII |
| Class of 2008 | Joe Dessent, MSIV | Orthopaedics | Earl Han, MSI, and Priyesh Mehta, MSI |
| Class of 2009 | Adam Karpman, MSIII | PSR | Michelle Hadley, MSII, and Alicia Pointer, MSII |
| Class of 2010 | Ryan Murphy, MSII | PM&R | Dan Tsukanov, MSII, and Steve Fosmire, MSII |
| Class of 2011 | Tom Forbes, MSI | PSA | Erycka Florie, MSIII, and Myra Cyr, MSIII |
| ACOFP | Mark Umphrey, MS II, and Sarah White, MSII | SSP | Christina DeMatteo, MSII |
| ACOOG/OBGYN | Lauren Traynor, MSII, and Jeff Brown, MSII | Sports Med | Michelle Stone, MSII |
| ACOP/PEDS | Cassidy Foley, MSII, and Rima Zahr, MSII | SAA | Melissa Goulet |
| AMA | Chris Blomberg, MSII, and Nick Nikolopoulos, MSII | SCACOEP/EMC | Robert Brown, MSII |
| AMSA | Andrew Ray, MS II | SNMA | Shobhit Gupta, MSII, and Mark Umphrey, MSII |
| AMOPS | Peter Lapen, MSII, and Juliann Minnon, MSII | SOIMA | Sita Singhal, MSII |
| Clown Patch Club | Rob Parker, MSI | SOMA | Mike Dominello, MSII |
| IMC | Kim Salaycik, MSII, and Sue White, MSII | SOSA | Kevin Hsu, MSII |
| IFMSA | Tad Lanagan, MSII, and Mari Davis, MSII | SRA | Lacey McIntosh, MSII |
| JMSA | Jeff Brown, MSII, and Rob Levine, MSII | Symp. Tones | Rachel Keesling, MSII |
| MSFC | Ariel Tosi, MSII, and Maria Weinstein, MSII | TM&H | Katie Lewis, MSII, and Christina DeMatteo, MSII |
| MAC | Amber Hendricks, MSII, and Kim Salaycik, MSII | UAAO | Daniel Miller, MSII, and Amanda Staples, MSII |
| NOWPA | Josie Conte, MSII, and Lauren Traynor, MSII | UCMDA | Rachel Keesling, MSII |
| NPC | Lauren Fleischer, MSII | WMC | Tad Lanagan, MSII, and Steve Fosmire, MSII |
C&O Meeting Times:
| ACOFP | 2nd Monday @ 12:30 | Orthopaedics | TBD |
| ACOOG | 2nd Monday @ 12:00 | PEDS | 1st Friday @ 12:00 |
| AMA | 3rd Tuesday @ 12-12:30 | PM&R | 2nd Tuesday @ 12-12:30 |
| AMOPS | 2nd Monday @ 12:30 | PSA | TBD |
| AMSA | 1st Monday @ 12:00 | PSR | 3rd Tuesday @ 12:30-1 |
| Christian Fellowship | 2nd Friday @ 12:00 | SNMA | 4th Tuesday @ 12:00 |
| Clown Patch Club | 3rd Tuesday @ 12:30-1 | SOIMA | 3rd Monday @ 12:00 |
| EMC | 3rd Monday @ 12:30-1 | SOMA | 1st Tuesday @ 12:30 |
| IMC | 4th Tuesday @ 12:30 | SOSA | 1st Monday @ 12:30 |
| IHA | 3rd Thursday @ 12:30 | Sports Med | 1st Thursday @ 12:00 |
| JMSA | 4th Wednesday @ 12:00 | SRA | 1st Tuesday @ 12:30 |
| MSFC | 3rd Wednesday @ 12:30 | SSP | 4th Monday @ 12:30 |
| AGS | 3rd Wednesday @ 12:00 | UAAO | 3rd Friday @ 12:00 |
| NERC | 2nd Wednesday @ 12:00 | TM&H | 4th Friday @ 12:00 |
| NOWPA | 2nd Wednesday @ 12:00 | WMC | 2md Tuesday @ 12:00 |
| NPC | 3rd Wednesday @ 12-12:30 |
Meat and Potatoes
Lobster buoys hang from an apple tree. Photo by Dan Sheps, MSII.
University Campus Information
| Office of Recruitment, Student, and Alumni Services (RSAS) Lower level of Stella Maris Hall |
Monday-Friday 8am – 4:30pm (open noontime) |
| Campus Center Hours | Monday-Friday Gym, Track, Fitness Center: 6am-11 pm Pool: 6:30am-9:30am, 11:30am-2pm, 3pm-7pm (open to public unless swim team is using it) Saturday Gym, Track, Fitness Center: 8am-11pm Pool: 9:30am-1:00pm Sunday Gym, Track, Fitness Center: 8am-11pm Pool: 9am-3pm |
| Bookstore Hours |
August Hours: |
| Library Hours | |
| Jack S. Ketchum Library, University Campus | Monday-Thursday: 8am-midnight Friday: 8am-7pm Saturday: 10am-9pm Sunday: 10am-midnight |
| Josephine S. Abplanalp ’45 Library, Westbrook College Campus | Monday-Thursday: 8am-midnight Friday: 8am-5pm Saturday: 9am-5pm Sunday: 1pm-9pm |
| Sanford Petts Health Center - University Campus Phone: 282-1516 |
Monday-Wednesday: 8:30am-8pm Student Walk-in Hours: 11am-1pm |
| Alfond Health Center (OMM treatment only) Phone: 284-1417 |
Monday: 8am-8pm Tuesday-Friday: 8am-5:30pm |
| Saco Health Center - Saco Phone: 283-1407 |
Monday-Thursday: 8am-4:30pm Friday: 8:30am-4pm |
| Learning Assistance Center Phone: 602-2443 |
Monday-Thursday: 8am-9pm Friday: 8am-4pm |
| Career Services | For appointments, contact Judy Bellante at 602-2817, or jbellante@une.edu |
| Counseling Services | For appointments, call 602-2549 |
| Disability Services | For appointments, contact 602-2815. |
|
Food Service Hours Effective in September:Decary Cafeteria |
August: |
| The Hang |
Monday-Friday: 11am-11pm |
| Alfond Café | August 9th through September 4th: 7:30 am-2:30 pm Starting September 5th: Monday-Thursday: 7:30 am-7:00 pm Fridays: 7:30 am- 2:30 pm |
Mail Services: Medical students may purchase a mailbox, located outside of the Facilities Management building. Cost is $25 for the year. Mail and packages may be picked up 24-7 at this location. Stamp machines and outgoing mail drop boxes are available throughout campus.
Copy Center Services: Students can submit copy jobs at the Service Counter in the Facilities Management building. Unless alternative arrangements are made, your project will be available within 24 hours.
Information Technology Services
Biddeford/UC Help Desk
207-602-2200 or x4400 on campus
Hours are 7:30am-6pm
helpdesk@une.edu
Portland/WCC Help Desk
207-221-4400 or x4400 on campus
wcchelpdesk@une.edu
Help Desk Hours
Monday-Thursday: 8 am-6 pm
Friday: 8 am-4:30 pm
Study Locations:
There are a number of locations available on the University campus for students to study.
Alfond Center for Health Sciences: The entrance facing Stella Maris and the main entrance on the lower level will be unlocked until midnight. All other entrances are open until 8pm. The rooms and lecture halls available as 24-hour study space are 104, 113, 126, 127, 128, 138A/B, 139A/B, and 304. The lobbies are also available. The Alfond Building has wireless Internet access.
Decary Hall: The entrance facing the river remains unlocked until 8pm, and the front entrance is open until 10pm. The rooms available for 24-hour use are 202, 203, 205, 206, 208, 212, and Sutton Lounge. Wireless access is available in the first floor vending area.
Marcil Hall: The entrance on the lower level is open until midnight. Wireless access is available in the common areas.
Alfond Meadow:
The Alfond Meadow will be used for intramural sports during the 2007-08 academic year. Students can anticipate use of the lawn during football season and again during spring sports. Study plans should be made with the lawn use in mind.
Submissions to the COMmunicator:
The COMmunicator is published monthly, August-May. Your submissions are welcome. Submit stories, news events, or digital pictures to Steve Smith at ssmith12@une.edu by the 20th of each month (the earlier, the better!)
Parting Shot
Dave Johnson, Ph.D., UNECOM assistant professor of hematology (on walkie-talkie) directs his shark fishing tournament in August. The annual event, which raises money for the United Way, saw plenty of media attention and also bagged a new state record-setting blue shark. Photo by Dan Sheps, MSII.
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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
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