Lauren Ciszak, MD, a fellow in the Leadership in Preventive Medicine Program at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland, has been making significant strides in improving community health through her project, the Pursuit App. The fellowship program, part of the Division of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, integrates various clinical departments, including family medicine, internal [...]

Jeremy Qualls, PhD, Dean of the College of Science, Technology, and Health and Professor of Physics at the University of Southern Maine (USM), has been a key figure in fostering innovation through his collaboration with MaineHealth and USM’s Maker Innovation Studio (MIST Lab). Jeremy’s interest in innovation began in childhood, evolving into a career [...]

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 [...]

The excitement was palpable as the day of the Skills Fair arrived, and the Operation: No Harm Index game took center stage, continuing the tradition of engaging hospital staff in critical topics of patient safety and the No Harm Index. Led by Kathleen Sheehan-Tartre, BSN, RN, Nursing Director of Nursing Education & Staff Development, Kate Campbell, BSN, [...]

“More than ever, we need to focus on taking time to listen to other’s perspectives, especially when their expertise differs from our own.” - Alex Reppond, MS One of the core principles of Innovation is the deliberate pursuit of diversity of thought, recognizing its important role in addressing complex challenges. It is through the [...]

APP Program Manager Angela LeClerc and her team at Maine Medical Center are addressing the lack of information on post-ICU patient recovery in the neurology intensive care unit (Neuro ICU) to promote a better understanding of recovery outcomes and decrease moral fatigue and nurse burnout. The Challenge Maine Medical Center (MMC) neuro ICU care [...]

Charlotte Helvie, a pediatrician at Memorial Hospital, envisions improving connectivity for families while minimizing care team burn out.  The Challenge Recognizing its potential impact on pediatric care team burnout and worker shortages, Charlotte Helve is developing the Pediatric Well-Care Companion—a mobile application that leverages virtual chat functionality to supplement annual wellness visits. The Solution As [...]

Jim Byrne, a physical therapist at CHANS Home Health & Hospice, addresses an opportunity to reinvent the delivery of essential home health care. “If we can’t change the patient’s environment, then we must change our own,” asserted Jim Byrne PT, DPT − a physical therapist at CHANS Home Health and Hospice – while highlighting opportunities [...]

People who have unstable housing or experience homelessness after hospitalization have 30 percent more visits to the ER after discharge than people with stable housing, a situation that creates major challenges in a patient’s recovery. To tackle the problem, Maine Medical Center (MMC), Greater Portland Health (GPH), a federally qualified health center, and Preble Street [...]

When a patient with dementia enters the emergency department (ED), they may feel especially unsettled. They often don’t know where they are or what’s going on around them. The noises, bright lights and unknown people can cause confusion and fear. Sarah Shepherd, DO, an emergency medicine physician at Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC), had [...]