Sam Woodworth, MD

Sam Woodworth, MD, an Attending Physician at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Hospital Medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, was introduced to MaineHealth through Dr. Aji Djamali, the Chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Woodworth provides comprehensive care to a diverse range of inpatients as a hospitalist, but beyond his medical practice, he is interested in the intersection of art, humanities, and medicine. This interest inspired Woodworth to develop “The Children’s Book”, a collection of infographics aiming to rekindle that childlike curiosity and excitement about learning in the field of medicine.

With a goal of lifelong learning, particularly within internal medicine, Woodworth recalls the joy everyone experiences when watching a young child read for the first time. This fascination with children’s books, which elicit such curiosity and excitement, led him to think that perhaps this sense of wonder could be recreated in adults. Woodworth explained that despite all the exciting moments in medicine, the workload, number of patients, and paperwork can diminish these emotions. To address this problem, Woodworth has been working on colorful, illustrated medical infographics, which will cover a variety of topics, including pathologies, treatments, and mechanisms for pathophysiology. This collection will include 20 to 30 infographics, presented in a format similar to a children’s book. This will be the kind of book one can pick up from their coffee table after a long day to unwind while also sparking curiosity for medicine in the days ahead.

Woodworth brought this idea to MaineHealth’s Innovation Cohort, which he was grateful to have discovered. In the cohort, Woodworth enjoyed encountering innovative ideas and finding that they were practical and impressive. He found value in seeing these feasible ideas and learning of the care team members working to address them. These insights helped to clarify his own project, refining his understanding of what it was and who it was intended for. One piece of advice that Woodworth had for others interested in innovation is that you don’t fully understand your own ideas until you start discussing them out loud. Even when you have an idea, it might not be fully formed. That is why he believes it is incredibly helpful to engage with a group of people who are enthusiastic about ideas, even if you don’t know them well.

In addition to his role at Maine Medical Center and Tufts University, Dr. Woodworth is the Director of “Practicing Curiosity,” a museum-based curriculum for internal medicine learners at the Portland Museum of Art. With 20% protected time for research, Dr. Woodworth will continue to grow and implement his ideas. His journey with “The Children’s Book” will only continue from here.

Illustrations from “The Children’s Book”