Maine Physician Receives Distinguished Service to Philanthropy Award

Hector Tarraza, MD, Chief of OB/GYN at Maine Medical Center, has received the New England Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (NEAHP) Distinguished Service to Philanthropy Award for 2005. Born in Puerto Rico and educated and trained at Harvard and Boston’s finest hospitals, Dr. Tarraza joined the Maine Medical Center OB/GYN team in 1987. He became Chief 10 years later. His expertise and passion for caring for others is recognized throughout the hospital, the community, and abroad.

Recognized as a Top Doctor For Women In America, Dr. Tarraza has a “can do” approach to life that has impacted thousands of people here in Maine and elsewhere. Whether coaching a 10-year-old Little Leaguer or discussing the importance of quality healthcare with a CEO of a major corporation, Dr. Tarraza’s addictive energy and passion touch many.

Dr. Tarraza’s CV reflects a medical career of substantive research, development of break-through treatment protocols, and medical leadership. Not on his resume are the twice yearly mercy missions to Peru where he performs nearly 100 surgeries in a week, or the medical supplies and equipment he arranges for shipping prior to the trips, or the work he and his wife have done in establishing a home for people with mental illness in Portland. Neither does it show his passion and leadership as a founding member of the Cancer Community Center, the hours spent securing auction items for his children’s annual school auction, or the two-hour middle school graduation slide show highlighting every child in the class.

Dr. Tarraza was named co-chair of the Building on Excellence Campaign at Maine Medical Center in 2003. From design to construction of the new Women and Infants Building at MMC, Dr. Tarraza’s influence will be felt in everything from the sophisticated 50-bed private room neonatal intensive care unit to the meditation room for those in need of a calm and private space.

With a philanthropic spirit that comes from deep inside, Dr. Tarraza and his wife Marianne are generous with their time, their enthusiasm for doing the right thing for others, and their personal financial commitment.