Gov. Mills honors contributions of Maine’s medical school
Maine’s governor is honoring the contributions of the state’s only medical school and its graduates by proclaiming April 15 through April 21 National Osteopathic Medicine Week in Maine.
Gov. Janet Mills announced the proclamation on Monday, recognizing the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM) as a premier osteopathic medical institution and acknowledging the work of Maine’s 1,200 osteopathic physicians to improve the health of their communities through patient-centered care.
More than 186,000 osteopathic physicians practice across the United States, accounting for more than 11% of all physicians. Nearly 4,000 UNE COM alumni serve the citizens of Maine, New England, and the nation.
UNE COM is the No. 1 provider of physicians for the state of Maine. Of its graduates, 67% practice in primary care fields — including pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, and OB-GYN — compared to just 32% at other medical schools.
The UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine boasts an impressive residency placement rate. In March, 163 students in the Class of 2024 matched to residencies — 99% of all students.
The college also bested, by far, the national averages for both allopathic medical schools (93.5%) and other osteopathic medical schools (92.3%). In addition to primary care disciplines, graduates will undertake residencies in emergency medicine, general surgery, and psychiatry, among others.
UNE COM will soon be able to graduate more doctors — 200 per year — with the relocation of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from Biddeford to the Portland Campus for the Health Sciences. The campus will unite UNE’s health professions programs into an interprofessional learning community that is unique in New England, aiming to empower the next generation of world-class health care providers in a single location.
The new home of UNE COM, the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences, is expected to open in fall 2025.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine is Maine’s only medical school and has been ranked in the Top 10 medical schools where graduates are most likely to match with their first-choice residency program. The college is ranked in the Top 20 medical schools nationwide for producing primary care residents and is included in the 2023 Best Medical Schools for Research by U.S. News and World Report.