Residents
Jason Block
PGY 3 - CHIEF RESIDENT
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA
Undergrad: Luther College
Med School: University of Iowa
If I were not a doctor I would be: A barista
Favorite Hike: Mt. Katahdin is really amazing, but probably Angels Landing in Zion.
Favorite Beach: For everyday use, I’d say Higgins, but Kuta Beach in Bali was phenomenal.
Why MMC?: I rotated here as a medical student and didn’t realize how special it was until I ventured out on the interview trail. The residents here were more autonomous and had the widest scope of practice of any place I visited. With only a few sub-specialty residency programs, reductions, procedures, etc. are all done by the EM residents with rare consult calls. As the only level 1 center in Maine, eastern New Hampshire, and northern Mass, you see a high volume of every sort of trauma and critical patient. The faculty are the bomb, they’re the type of people who will make you an awesome doctor and a better person -- down to earth and excellent educators -- with fellowship training covering the whole spectrum. All of that set in a place where you can be in the mountains and on the beach on the same day was why I chose Maine Med. I feel lucky to be a part of such an awesome program.
Shaila Delea
PGY 3 - CHIEF RESIDENT
Hometown: Hiram, ME
Undergrad: Skidmore College
Med School: University of New England
Closest brush with a famous person: I live vicariously through my brother who lives in Hawaii and plays soccer with Woody Harrelson and is married to Owen Wilson’s house cleaner. But in reality I did see the Dalai Lama speak when I was in India.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: My best and maybe craziest job was working for the AMC at Galehead hut. Best because I got to live in the white mountains and cook food from scratch for people every night, craziest because I had to hike said food in and said guest’s trash out 4.6 miles to the nearest road twice a week. Personal goals: To find balance and happiness in life and work
Why MMC?: My roots are here in Maine and it’s an honor to be able to take care of a community I love so much. The people are amazing both in the hospital and out. And Portland…well it’s a great place to settle down for three years...or more.
Andrew Fried
PGY 3 - CHIEF RESIDENT
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Undergrad: University of Miami
Med School: Temple
Celebrity I most resemble: My girlfriend says Joseph Lorden Gevit, whoever that is
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Best - Surf instructor. Worst - Cutting onions at a cheesesteak shop
If I were not a doctor I would be a: National geographic photographer
Personal goals: Become a great doctor, stay close with friends and family, become a better climber, explore some new surf spots up Maine’s crazy coast, take life seriously in the hospital and not so seriously outside, keep saying yes as much as possible
Favorite place in Maine: Reggae Sunday’s at peaks island, hanging at Oxbow
Why MMC?: The “We are doers” philosophy, the faculty, and the residents! It also doesn’t hurt that you can surf and ski in the same day when you’re off
Chris Allison
PGY 3
Hometown: Bennington, VT
Undergrad: Harvard
Med School: University of Pennsylvania
Favorite Food: Pretty much everything my partner, Breanne, makes.
Closest brush with famous person: I, like many Vermonters, hugged Bernie Sanders in high school.
Personal goals: (in no particular order) 1. Stay in shape. 2. Become a decent piper. 3. Be a good partner (which is in direct conflict with goal 2). 4. Have fun outside as much as possible. 5. Do cool research. 6. Leave no body part un-ultrasounded. 7. Not be the most disorganized resident. 8. Become a competent physician.
Why MMC?: First of all, when interviewing, I was impressed by how happy the residents were -and it’s totally authentic. My co-residents are kind, interesting, and wicked smart. The faculty are amazing teachers, mentors, and friends. MMC EM hits the sweet spot between academic and community and between low-volume and chaos. Our ultrasound is top notch. Our critical care bays are full of action. Pre-hospital medicine is very important here. With a large refugee population, we see patients just off the plane from around the world. I could go on. And Portland! The ocean! The mountains! The food! The beer!
Peter Antkowiak
PGY 3
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (somewhere in Canada)
Undergrad: McGill University
Med School: Albany Medical College
Favorite Beach: Locally = Willard for the ease of access— incredible to be able to hang out on the beach just about a 5 minutes drive from work. Other favorites are Drake Bay in Costa Rica, Tofino in BC, Mustique island in the Grenadines, Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard, Kailua Bay on Oahu, Nha Trang in Vietnam, any island in the San Blas Archipelago, Panama; Cap d’Antibes (French Mediterranean), basically every beach on Mykonos in Greece… this is a sampling of the favorites. I'm fond of beaches and traveling if you can’t tell :)
Closest brush with a famous person: I once hung out with JK Rowling and chatted about wizardry
Why MMC?: I can’t say enough incredible things about this program: from the consistent leadership that knows how to run a great residency, to the collegial, thoughtful and collaborative teaching, to my amazing resident colleagues. Jana our residency coordinator is the best. Portland is a fun city in an awesome part of New England that offers four seasons, beautiful beaches and great mountains all in close proximity. The combination of people, location, and quality here is truly exceptional. I am so thrilled to be training at Maine Med and look forward to a wonderful 3 years!
Brook Goddard
PGY 3
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA
Undergrad: University of California at Santa Cruz
Med School: Oregon Health and Science University
Closest brush with a famous person: A few years back my best friend and I were checking a semisecret wave in a tiny little fishing town in California and Kelly Slater walked up behind us out of nowhere. He asked how the waves were and we were so shocked that we just stared at him for a few seconds, walked away, and started screaming like middle-school girls once we got back to the car. I am still worried that he heard us.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Before starting medical school I was hired to drive a rescue jet-ski for a professional big wave surfer at Mavericks. It was probably the most fun I have ever had at work but realized that having to call your mom after you get off just to tell her you were alive was not something I wanted to make a habit out of.
If I were not a doctor I would be: A meteorologist, I love watching wind, wave, and weather forecasts and studying global weather patterns. I also think I would be able to go on surf trips all over the world without getting skunked with that kind of knowledge base.
Why MMC?: My wife and I couples matched and MMC has been incredibly supportive of us as a couple in residency. We also wanted to surround ourselves with good people and the attending and residents here are all awesome. Above all, living in Maine is an amazing place to live. My wife and I are able to live the simple life by the beach that we always dreamed of which has made residency an incredibly enjoyable time of our lives.
Heidi Goddard
PGY 3
Hometown: Portland, OR
Undergrad: Northwestern University
Med School: Oregon Health and Science University
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Prior to medical school, I taught middle school science for two years in Phoenix, Arizona – definitely the craziest, best and hardest job combined.
Personal goals: To find balance between work life and personal life. To become a compassionate, knowledgeable physician and to try to be the best wife, sister, daughter, and (future) mom I can be. To continue to travel, read, run, and bake. To be open to new adventures.
Why MMC?: Because of the people. Everyone we met was kind, enthusiastic, honest, and seemed genuinely happy to live in Maine and work at MMC. Plus, it’s “the way life should be”!
Kelly Meehan-Coussee
PGY 3
Undergrad: University of Illinois at Chicago
Med School: University of New Mexico
Favorite Beach: Tarifa, Spain
Closest brush with a famous person: On set with Will Ferrell and Dustin Hoffman in Stranger Than Fiction
Celebrity I most resemble: Weirdness-Natalie Portman in Garden State, Tired/Hungry- Any actor playing any zombie character ever
Personal goals: To be happy and not impede on the happiness of others.
Favorite place in Maine: I’m still trying to figure this one out! (But, Willard Beach during off-leash time is pretty great.)
Why MMC?: Mainers are so incredibly kind. The faculty supports a great work-life balance. The physicians are brilliant. Maine is beautiful. There are beaches and mountains. It’s a small town feel with big-city amenities. Really, it just felt like a great fit, and I was so incredibly happy during my time here.
Karen Wakeman
PGY 3
Hometown: Naches, WA
Undergrad: Seattle Pacific University
Med School: University of Washington
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Working as a wildland firefighter during the summer throughout college and for several seasons between college and med school
If I were not a doctor I would be: An apprentice to Joanna Gaines decorating houses, own property and rescue lots of dogs
Personal goals: Be better today than I was yesterday
Why MMC?: I didn’t want to pick up and move across the country for any old program. However, after interviewing here I felt at home. The residents and faculty are all so great and welcoming. The program is awesome, in 3 years you get great hands on experience, you see lots of sick patients, and there are ample opportunities here to have fun outside of work.