Sarah Lazur, MD 

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Martinsburg, West Virginia
Undergraduate: West Virginia University
Medical School: West Virginia University
Interests / Hobbies: cooking, trail running, road cycling, hiking, backpacking, making myself laugh, reading
Favorite place in Maine: Ask me in a year! So far, every day spent outside either on my bike, at the local beaches, or traveling to the mountains has been wonderful
Medical interests: Primary Care, hospital medicine, endocrinology... so, if you couldn’t already tell, I’m you’re typical med-peds “can’t make your mind up” type.
Favorite Maine activity: Biking to and from my house to Maine Beer Company- gorgeous road ride with the perfect pit stop.
What did you do before medical school: I worked as a chemical engineer in Tennessee for four years, with a sprinkling of tutoring high school students in the middle
Personal goals: Work hard, learn a ton, and have a fulfilling life outside of medicine. I’m always trying to cultivate and maintain a happy and healthy existence outside of medicine- I love this career, but my relationships and experiences outside of the hospital are what bring me the most joy.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: My best job was also the worst - my first engineering job after undergrad at age 21, making more money than I EVER will as a resident, but absolutely miserable and unfulfilled. Craziest job - transcribing obituaries at the local newspaper in my hometown.
Why Maine Medical Center: I wanted a program that would both challenge and support me, feel like family, and be in location that allowed my days outside of the hospital to be full of adventure! MMC checked all of those boxes and more.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… vegetable farmer!
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Scratch bakery for bagels

Stephen Long, MD 

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Bethlehem, PA
Undergraduate: The University of Scranton
Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: I love listening to music, playing the guitar, reading books, and hanging out with my little dog Odie
Favorite place in Maine: Toss-up between Fort Williams Park and Two Lights State Park
Medical interests: Cardiology, Hospital Medicine
Favorite Maine activity: Taking in all of the incredible sights!
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: I worked at a thermocouple manufacturer during all of my school breaks in college
Why Maine Medical Center: So many reasons! The people: when I was interviewing for residency, I prioritized finding a program that supported me. Knowing that there are plenty of people to lean on has made the transition into residency much less intimidating. The patients: I am really excited to take care of Portland’s refugee population in the resident clinic. The place: Portland rules! The variety of food is unbelievable, the coast line is gorgeous, and living so close to the ocean is just amazing.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… college professor
Favorite restaurant in Portland: I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface yet, but the Bite Into Maine food truck at Fort Williams Park is pretty spectacular.

Micah Ludwig, MD 

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Waldoboro, ME
Undergraduate: Bowdoin College
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine- Maine Track Program
Interests / Hobbies: Baking, skiing, hiking, biking, gardening, watching cute dog videos
Favorite place in Maine: It’s hard to pick just one, but I’m particularly fond of the blueberry barrens and rocky coastline in Washington County. People often don’t realize you can go further east than Acadia- you can and it’s well worth the drive.
Medical interests: Pediatric hospital medicine and nephrology are at the top of my list at the moment, but it’s always changing. I’m particularly passionate about helping sick kids become healthy adults.
Favorite weekend destination: In the winter I’d say Sugarloaf. During the spring, summer, and fall I’m happy if I’m next to some body of water (even if it’s just my parent’s pool).
Favorite Maine activity: Snowshoeing with my dad during/after a big snow storm
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: In junior high and high school I worked on a vegetable farm. During the summer I would have to wake up at 4:00 AM to pick corn. Sweet corn must picked during the cool part of the day to maintain optimal sweetness. Corn husks and stalks can cause some of the worst cuts and scrapes I have ever experienced. I was always happy when school started because I got to sleep later and my hands could heal.
Why Maine Medical Center: I had the opportunity to complete many rotations at Maine Medical Center during medical school, and I found it to be an incredibly collaborative and supportive environment. Maine Medical Center is a safe place to be a learner, and questions are always welcomed with enthusiasm. There is also a small town feel as MMC, despite serving a large catchment area.
Celebrity I most resemble: A chubby Chris Pratt
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Too difficult to choose… Eventide, Salvage BBQ, Burger Bar, El Corazon

Jonathan Mathes, MD

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA 
Undergraduate: Grove City College (Pennsylvania)
Medical School: West Virginia University
Interests / Hobbies: Soccer, Trail Running, Archery, Bluegrass music
Favorite place in Maine: New Hampshire
Medical interests: Global Health, Infectious Diseases
Favorite weekend destination: White Mountains
Favorite Maine activity: Finding Wild Blueberries
What did you do before medical school: I Studied Less, Slept more
Personal goals: Climb more mountains
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Manager of a pool in High School for 8$/hr
Why Maine Medical Center: I threw a dart at a map and it hit Maine. Just Kidding …. It was primarily because of the passionate residents.
Celebrity I most resemble: A young Kevin Bacon
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be an… International Aid Worker
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Chipotle (Sorry I’m not very interesting)
Personal Quote: “Just start putting yourself in situations that suck, that’s when you’ll find yourself” - Goggins

Erica Hidu, MD 

Year in program: PGY4
Hometown: Hampden, ME
Undergraduate: University of Maine
Medical School: Tufts University-Maine Track
Interests / Hobbies: camping, hiking, spending time at the ocean, sitting outside with my boyfriend, dog, and a thick layer of sunblock.
Favorite place in Maine: Acadia
Medical interests: Primary care, medical education, refugee health
*Why Maine Medical Center: Being from Maine, I enjoy being able to serve my state. The people here whether newly arrived or 10th generation are great to work with. I also wanted a program that would challenge me academically in an area where I could easily escape during any time off. MMC fit that bill with awesome co-residents, interesting teaching sessions, and the nearest beach a 10-15 minute drive away. The people here are friendly and supportive. Their commitment to teaching and their community is obvious to anyone who visits and despite all that commitment, they still manage to lead well-rounded lives.
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Empire or Bao Bao. Ask again tomorrow, you will get a different answer.

Ariel McKenna, DO

PGY 3

Hometown: Billerica, Massachusetts
Undergraduate: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical Interests: Not totally sure yet. I like a little bit of everything. Considering hospital medicine and maybe critical care. Also interested in medical education.
Hobbies: running, hiking, cribbage, fantasy football, cooking and eating good food
Best Job: Middle School Boys Basketball Coach
Favorite Beach: Ferry Beach
Why Maine Medical Center: I did 3rd and some 4th year rotations here. Very good experience with residents and faculty. Strong on the medicine side and the pediatric side. I love living in Maine. I get to still be relatively close to my family.

Jessica Schaumburg, DO 

Year in Program: PGY4
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey
College: University of Miami in Florida
Medical School: Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical Interests: I'm interested in primary care and hospitalist medicine with a focus on migrant and global health. In the past I've worked with migrant farm workers, done research on occupational health and CKD in the sugar care farming industry, interned in Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru and Tanzania, and currently I help run a yoga class for immigrant women in Maine.
Favorite things about Maine: Surf breaks 15 minutes from the hospital make it easy to celebrate the end of night float, proximity to an insane amount of good food (favs: lobster rolls at Eventide, Substance from Bissel Bros brewery, sambuusas & iced coffee at Burundi Star, ramen at Pai Men, pupusas at Flores, empanadas at Quiero Café , the Portland Trails are a great place to run with my dog and I still can't believe I can walk to work and a waterfall, Old Port Tavern or Congress Square to dance, kayaking to islands in the Casco Bay
Dream job of the day: Med-Peds primary care doctor with some hospitalist & newborn time at an academic institution. Ideally I'd like to build time to go back to Ecuador every year and teach/learn from rural residents.
Why Maine Medical Center: The residents and attendings here are so welcoming and love to teach; this was an amazing learning environment when I came for an elective during my fourth year. Since I am also interested in global health I love that we work with a large diverse refugee population in clinic and I've had a lot of opportunities to work with mentors on different projects. Also, Maine is beautiful, and the ocean isn't THAT cold. 😊

Anne Kornkven, MD 

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: Hard to say, we moved a lot when I was younger. But I was born in Laramie, WY and spent my 20s in Fairbanks, AK so both of those places have a piece of my heart
Undergraduate: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Medical School: Loma Linda University
Interests / Hobbies: anything outside, I do a LOT of hiking in the summer and snowshoeing/XC skiing in the winter. Also love playing soccer, we have a few good leagues plus pickup here in Portland and sitting in a cozy coffee shop and reading on a rainy day
Favorite place in Maine: so hard to choose but I really like the Rangeley Lakes region and the northern part of Baxter State Park.
Medical interests: global health, primary care
Favorite weekend destination: the White Mountains in NH, particularly the Presidential range.
What did you do before medical school: helped develop math curricula based on
Personal goals: finish the NH 48 before the end of residency!
Why Maine Medical Center: I was looking for a place that had people I liked, in a region with plenty of outdoor options and a hospital with opportunities for global/immigrant healthcare exposure. MMC has it all!
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be: an archeologist. I don’t know anything in particular about archeology, but the idea of delving into the peoples/cultures of ancient history is fascinating to me.

Eliott Morgan, MD 

Year in Program: PGY3
Hometown: Woodbridge, CT
Undergraduate: Bates College
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Interests / Hobbies: Skiing, mountain biking, surfing, hiking, travel, exploring Portland with my new wife and new pup, IPAs, yard games, and breakfast sandwiches
Favorite place in Maine: The coast
Medical interests: Hospitalist Medicine/Primary Care.
Favorite weekend destination: The Whites, skiing weekends in Maine/NH/Vermont, Camden, MDI, Quebec City/Montreal for a long weekend
Favorite Maine activity: Skiing
What did you do before medical school: Bartended and installed irrigations systems in Jackson, Wyoming
Why Maine Medical Center: Maine was always on my radar since growing up in New England and going to college in Lewiston. I went to medical school in a larger city and I was looking for something a little smaller and more intimate, but still with diverse exposure. The combination of urban illness, rural Northern Maine, and our predominantly non-English speaking immigrant community makes for a wide variety of disease. When I came for my interview, I felt like I had struck gold. I instantly connected with the faculty and residents, recognizing a similar passion for both patient care and teaching. The attendings are all approachable, patient, and eager to teach which sets a wonderful environment for learning and interacting with patients.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a: ski patroller
Favorite restaurant in Portland: High Roller/Luke's for Lobster Rolls, Empire/Minato for Asian cuisine, Washington Avenue for beers and oysters, Ruskis for cheap breakfast, and Fore Street when I’m not paying

Bhavini Prajapati, MD

PGY 2

Hometown: Clifton, NJ
Undergraduate: The College of New Jersey
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Interests / Hobbies: Hiking, running, binging Netflix, painting
Favorite place in Maine: haven’t got a chance to discover all that much, but eastern prom has been great to sit and watch the sunset
Medical interests: cardiology, hospital medicine
Favorite Maine activity: biking around the city
Why Maine Medical Center: There’s a good balance of autonomy and supervision. All the residents here are approachable and readily available to help. The location’s great - never too far from the water.

William (Bill) White, MD

PGY 2

Hometown: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Undergraduate: Carleton College / Northfield, MN
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School / Minneapolis, MN
Interests / Hobbies: Cooking, hiking, biking, dance, learning useless languages
Favorite place in Maine: Mackworth Island
Medical interests: Dual hospitalist, critical care
Favorite weekend destination: Crescent Beach
Favorite Maine activity: Kayaking! Or hiking! Or paddle boarding!
What did you do before medical school: Two years working in basic science research on evolution + behavioral ecology. Carried guppies in a backpack through river valleys in the northern mountains and forests of Trinidad. Caught and bred butterflies on the plains in MN. Later helped start a prospective, action-oriented detection system for less serious safety events in a PICU.
Personal goals: Read in three foreign languages!
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Guppy Butler. Carried guppies (and a lot of water) on my back through river valleys in the northern mountains and forests of Trinidad. Caught, hauled, anesthetized, identified, posed, photographed, tagged, and brought them back to their streams. Skipped gingerly around Fer-de-lance and Bushmasters.
Why Maine Medical Center: Warm, engaged, passionate community of residents and attendings in a beautiful corner of the world.
Celebrity I most resemble: Billy Zane (on a good day)
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Chef! Masseuse! Physical therapist! Dancer! Actor!
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Duck Fat

Russell Behmer, M.D.

PGY 1

Hometown: Westborough, Massachusetts
Undergraduate: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Interests / Hobbies: Boston Sports, Music, Cribbage, Amateur (very amateur) DJing, Cooking Poorly But Trying My Best
Favorite place in Maine: Nubble Lighthouse/Fox’s Lobster House
Medical interests: Transitions of Care, Primary Care
Why Maine Medical Center: The location, community, and the residents. I knew I loved Portland—the food, beer, easy access to the ocean, and variety of things to do close to the city are hard to find all in one place. The culture is supportive and friendly, with a small enough community to know your colleagues as friends and a large, diverse patient population to learn from. Most importantly, the residents here are happier than anywhere else I’ve been, and at the end of the day that is what matters most in the tough moments of residency.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a: teacher, DJ, or event planner
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Solo Italiano (especially if someone else is grabbing the check)

Emily Kelly, M.D.

PGY 1

Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Undergraduate: Carleton College
Medical School: Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
Interests / Hobbies: biking, hiking, canoeing, trying to get my cats to cuddle with me, exploring all the breweries in Portland, kayaking, planning adventures, looking things up on UptoDate, making friends
Favorite place in Maine: I feel like I've barely begun to explore! But the lake at the top of Tumbledown Mountain seems pretty hard to beat. As is the view of the sunrise over Back Cove from my living room window
Medical interests: pretty much everything; I'd love to live the Med-Peds dream and practice inpatient and outpatient medicine on both sides
Favorite weekend destination: anywhere outside with fresh air and the opportunity for adventure
Favorite Maine activity: hiking, kayaking, brewery-hopping, camping, dog-watching...
What did you do before medical school: I taught English in France for a year (and explored a bit of Europe along the way), worked in administration at the U of Minnesota's student health clinic, worked at a hostel in New Zealand, and held every position under the sun at my French immersion wilderness summer camp.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: For 11 years, I've worked at this French immersion wilderness canoe camp in Northern Minnesota. I've been Waterfront Manager, Head Chef, Assistant Dean, Dean... once I drove 4 hours round trip at 11:30pm to retrieve a camper's fancy backpack that she had placed in a black trash bag (to protect it from the rain) which we had thrown out with our actual trash at a rest stop on the way home from a canoeing trip.
Why Maine Medical Center: As soon as I stepped into the pre-interview dinner, I felt right at home. I met residents who were excited to see each other! And excited to meet me! They were (and are) as passionate about making their time outside the hospital count as much as their time within the hospital. They were funny, down-to-earth, and loved being in Portland. Since I knew I was going to be far from home, I was looking for a community I could call my family, and I felt that right away. I wanted a hospital small enough to smile at everyone in the hallway, but big enough to handle a large, diverse, and complex patient population. I found all of those things here. I left my interview day with one of those funny feelings that I would be back - and I couldn't be happier.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… canoe guide
Favorite restaurant in Portland: ooh, probably Duckfat for the fries. And you didn't ask, but my favorite breweries are Lone Pine, Rising Tide, and Oxbow

Rute Rothwell, M.D.

PGY 1

Hometown: Sao Miguel, Acores
Undergraduate: Brown University
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Favorite place in Maine: Moosehead Lake, any of the beautiful beaches (Pine point, Crescent, Higgins).
Medical interests: Primary care and hospital medicine, although I am still exploring subspecialty options as well.
Why Maine Medical Center: Friendly and passionate residents and attendings, who serve a diverse population, including a significant number of refugees. Large tertiary care center that provides essential care to a large and diverse state, yet a small enough hospital where I felt like I could be a part of the community while training.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Chef, Pilot

Jay Vance, M.D. 

Year in Program: PGY2
Hometown: Litchfield, New Hampshire
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine – Maine Track
Interests / Hobbies: Dogs, hiking, climbing, dogs, kayaking, basketball, dogs, woodworking, soccer, and dogs.
Favorite place in Maine: Higgins Beach during dog-friendly hours
Medical interests: Hospital medicine, congenital heart disease, pulmonology
Favorite weekend destination: White Mountains in NH
Favorite Maine activity: Skijoring with my two huskies!
What did you do before medical school: Research year, master’s program, scribed, taught after-school science programs, SAT tutoring, UPS driver, retail, and some other odd jobs.
Personal goals: Win the lottery so I can buy a 100-acre plot of land in Maine, fence it in, and start a dog sanctuary.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: I have three degrees, have held at least a dozen different jobs, and still have never made more money per hour than when I sold TVs at Sears in high school.
Why Maine Medical Center: I did two years of medical school at MMC and learned quickly that the Med-Peds residents and faculty here are some of the most nurturing, intelligent, and convivial people you'll ever want to meet. My wife and I have also fallen head-over-heels in love with Portland and plan to live here for the rest of our lives!
Celebrity I most resemble: Woody from Toy Story
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… dog rescue coordinator/haunted house critic/ranch hand
Favorite restaurant in Portland: