Sam Poulin, M.D. 

Hometown: Readfield, ME
Undergraduate: Colby College
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine: Popham Beach
Medical interests: Addiction medicine, palliative care
Why Maine Medical Center: I loved my time here as a medical student. The people are friendly and the training is fantastic. Portland is also a great city to live in, and it’s close to family!

Alden Sacco M.D. 

Undergraduate: Appalachian State University
Medical School: Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Favorite place in Maine: Such a difficult question- probably Mooselookmeguntic Lake or Great Pond (of the Belgrade Lakes) but there are so many beautiful lakes we have yet to explore...
Medical interests: Integrative Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Plant-based nutrition, LGBTQ+ Heath Advocacy, and Public Health
Why Maine Medical Center: The winning combination of fantastic faculty and residents in an outstanding teaching hospital, and the emphasis on integrative medicine and social justice within the residency program. And of course...Maine!

Kathryn Stefos, M.D.

Hometown: Lancaster, MA
Undergraduate: Georgetown University
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Favorite place in Maine: Portland!
Medical interests: lifestyle medicine, women’s health, disaster medicine, prehospital medicine
Why Maine Medical Center: I loved everything about Maine Med when I visited—the city of Portland, the residency curriculum, but most importantly—the people! I feel so lucky to be able to work and learn alongside such a fantastic and supportive group of physicians.

Kelly King, M.D. 

Hometown: My mom moved around Massachusetts quite a bit when I was a child, but currently lives in Wellesley, MA. My Dad has always lived in Somerville, MA, so I am lucky enough to have two hometowns.
Undergraduate: Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA.
Favorite place in Maine: Pretty much anywhere with a fireplace.
Medical interests: Addiction medicine, women’s health, medical education and dermatology.
Why Maine Medical Center: I felt I had found my people! The variety between the academic medical center and the outpatient clinics made this the perfect place for the comprehensive training I was looking for. I also could not pass up the amazing food and natural beauty in Portland.

Eli Dibner-Dunlap, M.D. 

Hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio
Undergraduate: Skidmore College
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine: Blue Hill Peninsula
Medical interests: Integrative Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health
Why Maine Medical Center: I spent two years at Maine Med during medical school and this area has come to feel like home. This program is a perfect fit for my interests, the people are wonderful and I’m excited to continue to deepen my community in Maine.

George Eyerer, M.D.

Hometown: Bangor, ME
Undergraduate: University of Maine, Orono
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Favorite place in Maine: My favorite place in Maine changes with the seasons. In the summer there is nowhere more beautiful than the Maine coast. When the leaves start to change color, my favorite weekends are spent camping in the West Forks. When the snow starts to fly, I cannot think of anywhere I would rather be than skiing at Sugarloaf!
Medical interests: Full spectrum care, LGBTQ health, Global health, & Integrative medicine
Why Maine Medical Center: In my fourth year, I completed an Acting Internship and realized that the program at Maine Medical Center was a perfect fit for me - outstanding people, excellent teamwork, helpful feedback, and plenty of laughs. In this environment and culture, I knew I could thrive. An added plus- it doesn’t get much better than living in Portland, Maine!

Lauren Boehm

PGY 4 - Chief Resident

Hometown: North Andover, Massachusetts
Undergraduate: Northeastern University
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Spending time outdoors, playing tennis, board games, Boston sports
Favorite Maine activity: Exploring new restaurants and breweries.
Medical interests: Medical education, Cancer survivorship care, Hospital medicine, Palliative care, Adolescent health
Favorite Place in Maine: Drakes Island
Why Maine Medical Center: The people! The residents and faculty at Maine Medical Center are incredible. In addition, MMC offers the unique opportunity to train at an institution that is both a community hospital and an academic medical center.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… High school history teacher
Favorite restaurant in Portland: OhNo Café for a breakfast sandwich

Emily Vayda, MD 

Hometown: Wichita, KS
Undergraduate: University of Vermont
Medical School: University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine: Acadia
Medical interests: women's health, family planning, prenatal care and obstetrics, health policy, social determinates of health, reproductive justice, rural family medicine & Transgender Care

Why Maine Medical Center: The community and the people that are a part of it… and very close proximity to high quality coffee and food!

Alena Comella

Hometown: Macedon, NY
Undergraduate: University of Rochester
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Favorite place in Maine: Acadia National Park
Medical interests: Sports Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Nutrition
Why Maine Medical Center: Everyone I’ve met has been genuinely kind, supportive, and dedicated to helping each other find opportunities to pursue their learning interests. Plus, there are few places in the world as beautiful as southern Maine!

Kelly Horsely

Hometown: Poulsbo, Washington
Medical School: University of Washington
Favorite Place in Maine: I've only visited once but Cape Elizabeth sure charmed me!
Medical Interests: Mental health, Adverse Childhood Events, preventative medicine, procedures, patient education
Why Maine Medical Center: I was drawn to the academic opportunities balanced by the feel of a supportive, tight-knit community. Also, all of the people I met seemed to still have that spark and joy for medicine!

Jacob Fay-Shields

Hometown: Forest Lake, Minnesota
Undergraduate: University of Minnesota - Duluth
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin - CW
Favorite place in Maine: Sebago Lake Medical interests: Wilderness Medicine, Preventative Medicine, Sports Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Underserved Populations, Geriatrics, The Whole Spectrum!
Why Maine Medical Center: I continue to be impressed by MMC’s emphasis on education, their inspiring initiatives serving homeless populations, and their amazing community of people. I feel so blessed to be here!

Laurie Merker

Hometown: Somers, NY
Undergraduate: Tufts University
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine: Ogunquit Medical interests: Care of the underserved, Women’s Health, Health Policy, Sports Medicine
Why Maine Medical Center: The people! The combination of a strong academic medical center with the supportive environment that MMC-FM clearly fosters is what I love about the program. I know I will receive a fantastic education with the support of some truly wonderful people!

Toby Nicholson

Hometown: Deerfield, New Hampshire
Undergraduate: Bowdoin College
Medical School: The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Favorite place in Maine: South Branch Pond in Baxter State Park
Medical interests: working with people experiencing homelessness, gender care, family planning, sexual health, substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction strategies, medical education
Why Maine Medical Center: I am so excited to be a Family Medicine resident at Maine Medical Center first and foremost because of the incredible community associated with it. This is certainly true within the medical community, but importantly, Portland and the folks that live here inspire me to think broadly about what it means to be “well”. I am excited to consider how we can leverage and uplift the existing social infrastructure and wisdom of community members to advocate for better health for everybody!

Nikolai Renedo

Hometown: Orono, ME
Undergraduate: Tufts University
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Favorite place in Maine: Baxter State Park
Medical interests: Addiction medicine, lifestyle medicine, integrative medicine
Why Maine Medical Center: I was super excited about an academic program that also feels very integrated into the community, Portland is a wonderful city, and it is close to home

John Royal

Hometown: Ellsworth, ME
Undergraduate: University of Maine, Orono
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine-Maine Track
Favorite place in Maine: Bar Harbor
Medical interests: Obstetrics, Palliative Care, Women’s Health, Medical Education, Community education and intervention, Addiction Medicine
Why Maine Medical Center: I chose MMC because of the kind, passionate faculty, amazing residents, and exceptional training atmosphere. Each service that I interacted with during my rotations as a medical student dedicated valuable time to teaching, mentoring, and wellness. Additionally, there is a community atmosphere among the people who work at MMC. Even though it is a large and busy hospital, I always felt like I was part of a large family dedicated to providing excellent care to our patients.

Anna Bouck

Hometown: Wheaton, IL
Undergraduate: Northeastern University
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): Acadia National Park, Grand Teton National Park, anywhere in France
Medical Interests: Rural primary care, palliative care, gender affirming care, pediatrics
Why Maine Medical Center: Kind and welcoming people, collegial training environment, diversity of patients, and beautiful city!

Susannah Daggett

Hometown: Yarmouth, ME
Undergraduate: Tufts University
Medical School: Tufts University (Maine Track)
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): Monhegan Island
Medical Interests: Adolescent medicine, addiction medicine, family planning and abortion care, geriatrics, gender care
Why Maine Medical Center: As a medical student at MMC, I found the family med residents to be exceptionally smart, dedicated, and kind. I love Portland and the emphasis on work-life balance here, and I'm excited to keep it as my home for three more years!

Audrey DeFusco

Hometown: Cheshire, CT
Undergraduate: Bowdoin College
Medical School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): Brunswick, ME
Medical Interests: Academic Medicine, Sports Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Procedures, Point-of-Care Ultrasound
Why Maine Medical Center: The people at this program were welcoming, supportive, and genuinely happy. The positive, team-based culture combined with the opportunity to train in an academic hospital in beautiful southern Maine inspired me to choose Maine Med!

Christine Donohue

Hometown: Wallingford, CT
Undergraduate: Boston College
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): New Orleans, LA
Medical Interests: Preventive medicine, culinary medicine, diabetes
Why Maine Medical Center: Everybody is so down to earth and a pleasure to talk to. Also Portland has been my favorite place to visit for years, so excited to finally be living here

Lillian Hayes

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Undergraduate: Brown University
Medical School: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): The Pacific Crest Trail. Looking forward to exploring Maine's mountains and the coast!
Medical Interests: Adolescent medicine, LGBTQ health and gender-affirming care, family planning, mental health, OB
Why Maine Medical Center: I was drawn to MMC for the opportunity to train in full-scope family medicine surrounded by people who are kind, down-to-earth, passionate about providing primary care to all people, and prioritize the importance of lifestyle change in health. I also adore the White Mountains, and am looking forward to living closer to them!

Nathaniel Meyer

Hometown: Readfield, ME
Undergraduate: Oberlin College
Medical School: Tufts University (Maine Track)
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): Cutler Coast
Medical Interests: Health equity, systems change, medical education, interdisciplinary leadership, anti-oppression in the exam room, queer health, family planning, reproductive justice, substance use treatment, harm reduction, adolescent health, dermatology, procedures.
Why Maine Medical Center: So much of people's health depends on resources and constraints in the communities where they live. While learning full-spectrum primary care, I wanted to train in a place where I already had a connection to the community and a basic understanding of the health infrastructure. Maine is where I grew up and where I call home, so it's an honor to learn how to serve patients here. There are also opportunities for Maine's health systems to become more representative of the rapidly-diversifying population here and to provide care more equitably. I wanted to stick around to be a part of that work.

Michelle Oberding

Hometown: Saranac Lake, NY
Undergraduate: Saint Michael’s College
Medical School: University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
Favorite place in Maine (or anywhere!): I haven't explored too much of Maine beyond Portland and Acadia but they are both wonderful!
Medical Interests: Women’s health, preventative medicine, procedures
Why Maine Medical Center: I loved meeting the residents at the Family Medicine virtual fair; everyone was so nice. I love the ocean and exploring tidal pools!