Dean Marc B. Hahn comments on Washington Post blog that notes Maine's high level of physicians

The Washington Post published a post on Dec. 3, 2011 titled "Where are the doctors," which looked at the distribution of physicians in each state. The author notes that there is a large disparity among states that is difficult to explain. 

"Texas, for example, is home to two of the country’s largest cities, Dallas and Houston. It graduated more than 1,200 medical students last year, second only to New York. About 80 percent of doctors who train in Texas stay in Texas. Yet it has one of the lowest levels of doctors seen in the country. Compare that to Maine, a state with one medical school that somehow manages to have one of the highest levels of physicians."

Marc B. Hahn, D.O., Â鶹´«Ã½senior vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, points out in a comment on the blog that UNECOM "established our mission of educating Primary Care Physicians for Maine and the nation more than 3 decades ago. Our focus of serving the under-served has led to a program that graduates nearly 60% of our classes into primary care training (ie. family medicine, general internal medicine or pediatrics). In addition, we are the number one provider of physicians for our state, with nearly 12% of all physicians being UNECOM graduates. In addition, more than 15% of primary care physicians and 25% of rural practicing physicians in Maine are our graduates. In deed, the Â鶹´«Ã½, Maine's Medical School, has had a profound impact on access to care for our uniquely rural northeast state."

About the Â鶹´«Ã½

The Â鶹´«Ã½ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.