PORTLAND — During its annual Celebration in Portland,  Saturday, April 26, 2025, MaineHealth recognized the 41 students who will be graduating from the MaineHealth Maine Medical Center – Tufts University School of Medicine (MHMMC-TUSM) Maine Track program next month. Celebration is the Maine-based culminating event for fourth-year medical students who have completed their classroom instruction in Boston along with community-based practice in Maine. Students will begin their residencies this summer, 11 of them at MHMMC Portland. 

Dr. Jeffrey Florman, who has been a neurosurgeon with MaineHealth for more than two decades and associate professor with Tufts, gave the keynote speech. Dr. Florman is an expert in brain injury, brain tumors and complex cervical spinal disease, but used his remarks to talk about the human, rather than the scientific side of medicine. He encouraged students to approach doctoring with intention, remembering every patient is an individual deserving of personalized care. 

“Particularly in light of the respect I have for the Maine Track students, it is with great humility that I find myself recognized by the students and an honor to speak at this celebration,” said Dr. Florman. 

The Maine Track program is a partnership between MHMMC and Tufts formed 17 years ago to help address the shortage of doctors in Maine, provide financial assistance to aspiring medical students with a connection to Maine and develop an innovative curriculum focused on community-based education. MHMMC’s annual Maine Track celebration marks the local recognition of the medical school students, who also will take part in a graduation ceremony at Tufts on May 18. 

Student speaker Austin Steward, M25, is among the 19 students who grew up in Maine to graduate from Maine Track this year. He will be continuing his education as a resident at MHMMC Portland. 

“The Maine Track gave us more than a medical education; it gave us the space to grow into the physicians we want to be without shedding the identities that brought us here,” Steward said. “Whether artists or athletes, caregivers or advocates, we were welcomed as whole people. We were guided by mentors who modeled that same approach, reminding us to see both ourselves and our patients in their full humanity. That sense of belonging and purpose is what I’ll remember most, and what I hope we, the Class of 2025, carry into our next chapters.” 

When this year’s Maine Track class graduates, 480 students will have completed the program since it began. As of 2024, 85 Maine Track graduates who have completed their residency and fellowship training are practicing medicine in Maine. 

“These students attended medical school and are entering their residencies at a time of rapid change for the health care industry,” said MaineHealth Vice President of Medical Education Dr. Linda Chaudron. “I look forward to seeing how this next generation of providers innovates and adapts to meet the needs of patients, particularly in rural communities.” 

You can view a recording of Maine Track Celebration here: MMC Medical Education - YouTube.