Innovation is in our DNA. In addition to establishing the College of Pharmacy (2009) and Dental Medicine (2013), gifts to Innovation enhance UNE’s signature IPE program through faculty development and clinical placements, launch pioneering marine science initiatives, and fund essential faculty research, including interdisciplinary scholarship within UNE’s unique Centers.
Trustee Sandi Goolden contributes to the fund that supported UNE’s first Student Entrepreneurship Contest
Interprofessional Education
Generous support from the Harold Alfond Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and the federal government has helped UNE become a national leader in Interprofessional Education (IPE), and this innovative curricula is bringing medical, pharmacy, social work, and other graduate health students together for on-campus learning and clinical rotations. As the leading educator of healthcare professionals in Maine, UNE is also successfully engaging prominent leaders in Maine’s healthcare organizations to plan for and embrace this new healthcare paradigm.
Options for supporting IPE at UNE include funding to prepare students for interprofessional practice, funding for specialized student experiences caring for the underserved, and various clinical opportunities.
Ground-Breaking Grant to Address Patient Safety and Rural Shortages
Earlier this year, the University of New England (UNE) received a major grant award from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation for $600,000 to expand its interprofessional team-based curriculum to all health professions programs. The ultimate goals of this grant are to ensure all health care professionals who are UNE graduates are equipped with the necessary team-based skills to provide high quality patient care and to address shortages of health care professionals in rural Maine.
Marine Science
Marine Science is one of the most popular programs at UNE, with 240 undergraduate majors and 17 students currently pursuing a Master of Science in Marine Biology. UNE is poised to strengthen Maine’s marine economy with partnerships that are creating jobs for the next generation of marine leaders.
Funding is needed for the construction of a permanent pier for the Marine Science Center that will enable larger vessels, triple the number of students on board for important lab work, expand travel capability into the Gulf of Maine, bolster marine research, and increase student recruitment and retention. Additionally, donor investments will help to transform the existing marine science facility into highly innovative learning labs, and to support the academic programming that will occur within them.
Lars Hammer
Assessment of the Winter Flounder Stock of the Saco River Estuary, Maine
I did research on Winter Flounder to see if they came back to spawn over the winter in the Saco River estuary. The research helped us understand the behaviour of the fish and provided me a unique opportunity to carry out fieldwork. In the future I hope to work in fisheries and this opportunity has given me an invaluable experience working in a fisheries setting.”