By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

The new dean of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine said university health clinics will remain open and he will look to grow the medical program.
Dr. Marc Hahn, the new dean and senior vice president for health affairs, said he is exploring options for improving clinics for both patients and students. The university announced last month it would close six clinics in Biddeford, Saco and Portland that serve 20,000 patients.
At the time, university President Danielle Ripich said operating the clinics in their current form was not feasible because the health-care system is complex and costly. Hahn said a new clinical model will improve educational opportunities for students and service for patients, including shorter wait times.
Hahn said the clinics are fully staffed and operating as usual. He said there are no planned layoffs of staff.
“We understand University Health Care has a long tradition of serving folks in the region. We have a dedication to our patients, we have a dedication to our students,” he said. “We are committed to maintaining the clinics, to strengthening the clinics and looking for partnerships in the community to strengthen the clinics.”
Hahn said his challenge as dean is to identify an “appropriate model that makes sense for the 21st century” with state-of-the-art academic experiences for students. He said it is important to keep the clinics open to provide access to medical services for area residents and to maintain unique opportunities for medical students.
Medical students work at the university clinics and in other clinical settings throughout the region. Hahn said students are first exposed to clinical settings during their first year and begin work there in their third year.
Hahn said he hopes to have a completed model for the future of the clinics by the end of the year.
While focusing on how to improve the clinics, Hahn also has an eye on the future of Maine’s only medical school.
Hahn, who previously was dean of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, said he was drawn to the university because of its strength and potential.
“I can see great potential not only in the medical school, but in the growth of the university,” he said.
The medical school currently has 125 students per year. Hahn said the school receives 11 applications for every open position and he will look for ways to “appropriately” grow class sizes to address the need for physicians in Maine, New England and the country.
“[The medical school] is really having a great impact, yet we know there is a shortage of physicians in this country. We have an obligation to address some of those needs,” he said.
Hahn said he is impressed by the impact graduates of the medical school have across the state. Without those graduates, 14 of the state’s 16 counties would be below the state mean for patient-doctor ratios. Roughly 8 percent of the state’s physicians are graduates of UNECOM, he said.
After the announcement of the closure of clinics, medical students said they were concerned that the university would move away from its tradition of osteopathic medicine. The university is one of 28 osteopathic medical schools in the country; there are 130 other medical schools, according to Hahn.
“Obviously the uniqueness of the osteopathic model for medical education is important to our students. We have no plans to minimize that in any way,” he said. “If anything, we’re looking for opportunities to enhance exposure for our students.”
Hahn said he sees a “great opportunity” to develop inter-professional collaboration between medical students and others studying nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work and pharmacology. The collaboration will likely include focusing on the medical home model, which he calls the future of medicine.
“We have the ability to advance that model here on campus with all of our programs,” Hahn said.
Hahn said under the medical home model, students train with professionals they will work with in the future. He said they become familiar with what nurses and physician assistants do and gain exposure to other services available to patients.
“This gives our medical students that exposure to what they’d see later in their careers,” he said.
The medical school has graduated more than 2,300 physicians during the past 30 years. Hahn said many specialize in primary care and work in rural areas.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.