Maine lawmakers have approved funding for the University of Maine System, known as UMS, to study the feasibility of establishing the state's first public medical school.
The state's public university system will work with Tripp Umbach, a Missouri-based medical education consulting firm, to evaluate the level of resources and funding required to establish a public medical school.
Five things to know:
- The study will consider the creation of an MD-granting institution in Penobscot County. If deemed necessary, the school likely would be an affiliate of the University of Maine, one of seven public universities in the UMS system.
- The state approved funding for the study last year — a decision supported by the Maine Hospital Association, the Maine Primary Care Association and Northern Light Health, a 10-hospital system based in Brewer.
"Determining the feasibility of a new medical school in Penobscot County may spark interest in current physicians to move here, while looking toward building a sustainable physician workforce for the future," James Jarvis, MD, director of clinical education at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, said in a news release. - As part of the study, UMS and Tripp Umbach will engage stakeholders across the state, including research institutions, other medical education providers and associations representing hospitals and physicians. Together, they will evaluate the level of funding, personnel, laboratories and equipment that would be required to establish a public medical school.
- A report and recommendations from the study are due to the Maine Legislature in November 2025. Any proposal for UMS to establish a medical school will require a public review process and approval by its board, in addition to "significant public and philanthropic support."
- In fiscal 2023, there were 150 MD-granting medical education programs accredited in the U.S. Of those, 91 were public schools and 59 were private, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.