By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

    Dean Marc Hahn said he wants to establish a second medical school while growing the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine to serve more students in a new state-of-the-art facility.  
    Hahn, dean of the medical school and senior vice president of health affairs, last week outlined his vision for the future of Maine’s only medical school. He emphasized the need to grow the medical school while maintaining its osteopathic tradition. Hahn said he also plans to grow its scholarship fund to $1 million and establish a second medical school in the United States or internationally.
    The medical school, established in 1978, currently has 485 “top-performing students” and 2,300 alumni, Hahn said. The school is the top provider of primary care physicians in the state, many who care for patients in under-served rural areas, he said.
    “If the University of New England did not exist, access to primary care health care in this state would be in jeopardy,” he said. “We have been very quietly churning out primary care physicians for the past 30 years.”
    Hahn, who came to the school in September, said he would like to grow classes from about 125 students to 250 in the next five years while also attracting more researchers to campus. Medical students will continue to work closely with students in other health-related majors, he said.
    “The University of New England is quickly become a national and international model for inter-professional health education,” he said.     “The quality of heath care in the state of Maine and New England is being shaped by the strategic planning at [the university].”
Attracting more researchers to campus will provide students a “scholarly environment” in which to learn, Hahn said. He said collaboration is key to growing the school while providing quality education and research opportunities to students.
    Hahn also announced plans to hire an associate dean for academic affairs within the next three months to develop a “state-of-the-art” curriculum. The curriculum will include opportunities for simulation training and more clinical science in the first two years, he said.
Growing the medical school’s scholarship fund from $10,000 to $1 million is important to offset high tuition paid by students, Hahn said. Students currently pay about $45,000 each year in tuition, making the medical school one of the most expensive in the country. He also would like to freeze or drop tuition rates, he said.
    Hahn said he hired a consultant to analyze the business and professional practices at the school’s six University Health Clinics. The clinics nearly closed prior to Hahn’s arrival. He said he also will provide leadership and management training and stage a mock accreditation review. The medical school is up for accreditation in the fall.
    Mike Morel, chairman of the board of trustees and lifelong Biddeford resident, said he has seen “tremendous growth” in the university. He said it is an honor to know Biddeford and the university are home to the state’s only medical school.
“We have made a significant contribution to medicine,” he said.

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