On June 1, two medical students began a nine-month clinical rotation at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick. Maine Track students Katherine Brady and James McCullum are receiving training under the supervision of Mid Coast providers as part of the Tufts University School of Medicine – Maine Medical Center Program (TUSM-MMC) Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) program.

Mid Coast Hospital has participated as a training site for the program, commonly referred to as “the Maine Track,” since 2011. While enrolled in the program, medical students explore different medical disciplines including OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and General Surgery. The program allows students to fulfill their third-year core competencies, while offering a uniquely broad view of the varied, comprehensive types of care patients receive throughout life.

“Mid Coast Hospital is honored to have been a training site for the TUSM-MMC LIC program since its inception and is proud to support its mission,” said Dr. Marybeth Ford, coordinator of the LIC program at Mid Coast Hospital. “As we welcome back former Maine Track graduates, it is such a reward to see this program working to bring these physicians back to Maine to practice.”

Brady was born and raised in Valatie, New York, and attended Saint Michaels College. She received her Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in biology with a minor in music. Prior to pursuing medical school, she worked as a science educator and volunteered as a medical assistant for the Teton Free Clinic, helping to provide health care for local members of the community without health insurance.

Brady

“I chose the Maine Track because my motivation to study medicine is rooted in addressing health care disparities, particularly physician shortages in rural areas,” Brady said. “Rural communities face unique challenges in health care; however, I do not think this means they should be limited in their access to state-of-the-art care. I am thrilled to be studying medicine through the Maine Track, where I will be well equipped to achieve this goal.”

Born in Maine Medical Center and growing up in Hallowell, McCullum moved to Virginia to complete his Bachelor of Science in Geology at Washington and Lee University. He pursued a public health internship where he worked to ensure that poor, homebound individuals in Washington D.C. had adequate food delivered to them. While studying at Tufts, McCullum worked as a medical scribe in the Emergency Department of Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and conducted research in the Division of Ophthalmology.

McCullum

“I knew the Maine Track was the ideal program for me because of its commitment to the rural, underserved communities of Maine,” McCullum said. “My life experiences have revealed the primary importance of preventative care and strong community relationships. I am beyond excited, and grateful, to train with Tufts-MMC in my home state of Maine.”