Sarah DiBrigida

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: Bedford, New Hampshire
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College
Medical School: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Running, baking, reading
Favorite place in Maine: Belfast and Camden
Medical interests: Primary Care
Favorite Maine activity: Hanging out at the beach and swimming in the ocean, hiking and running on trails
What did you do before medical school: worked at My Gym and taught children’s fitness classes
Why Maine Medical Center: I loved that even with everything that the city of Portland has to offer the residency program and the community overall still have a small town vibe. Everyone is genuinely kind and interested in doing whatever they can to help you, whether it is to further your learning or something small like letting your dog out while you are on nights. Being near all of the beaches, lakes, forests, and mountains that Maine and New Hampshire have to offer is definitely a bonus!

 

Danielle Doctor

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: Westford, MA
Undergraduate: Boston University
Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Hiking, Baking, Trying new food, Cooking, Yoga,
Favorite place in Maine: Popham Beach
Medical interests: Adolescent Medicine, Primary Care
Favorite Maine activity: Sitting on a beach or hiking
What did you do before medical school: Medical Assistant at an OB/GYN office
Personal goals: Train my cat to be an adventure cat
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Worked at Dunkin’ Donuts..a true New Englander!
Why Maine Medical Center: The people! Everybody at MMC is so warm and welcoming I knew it would be a great and supportive environment to train in. Living in Portland is an added bonus!
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Baker
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Baharat or Honey paw

 

Amanda Gagnon

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: Manchester, NH
Undergraduate: University of New Hampshire
Medical School: University of New England
Interests / Hobbies: hiking, skiing, reading, going to concerts (esp at Thompson’s Point!)
Favorite place in Maine: Portland (Acadia State Park close second)
Medical interests: primary care
Favorite weekend destination: White Mountains
Favorite Maine activity: skiing at Sunday River or the Loaf
What did you do before medical school: I worked as an LNA at a nursing home in the Alzheimer’s unit for a year and then I worked in a financial aid office for a large, online university.
Personal goals: adopt a dog, run a half marathon, finish hiking the 48 peaks in NH that are higher than 4,000 feet (4 more left!)
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Craziest job – security guard for an art institute/ art school, Best job – Bus Driver at UNH, Worst job – spent a summer working for a Mack Truck office shredding paper….all I did was sit in an actual closet… and shred paper
Why Maine Medical Center: I knew that MMC was number one for me after I completed my AI on BBCH during my 4th year of medical school. This rotation was my favorite rotation of medical school and my first real experience with autonomy. I was so impressed with the attending and resident physicians who all went out of their way to help me learn and grow while also being the most kind individuals. I loved that the residents I worked with had lives outside of medicine and continued to make time for their hobbies/families/friends outside of residency. I truly felt that MMC would provide me the best pediatric training and I was thrilled to match here.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… truck driver or a deckhand on a super yacht
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Taco Escobarr, Falafel Mafia food truck, Becky’s Diner

 

Haley Pelletier

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: Rome, Maine
Undergraduate: University of New England
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Cooking (and eating!), reading, spending time outside
Favorite place in Maine: Fortunes Rocks Beach
Medical interests: Primary care, newborn medicine, rural/ community hospital medicine
Favorite weekend destination: Any of the Scarborough beaches or up in my hometown floating on the Belgrade Lakes
Favorite Maine activity: Early morning coffee walks on the Eastern Trail with my husband
Why Maine Medical Center: I wanted a small program with minimal fellow involvement where residents had a lot of autonomy and were really “doing the work” from the beginning. The Resident as PCP model for continuity clinic was also very important to me and something that was pretty unique to Maine Med. Also- location, location, location. Being near to family and support systems was a huge reason. The chance to live near the ocean and get outside after long shifts in the hospital provides balance in my life I didn’t want to give up.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Professional holiday decorator
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Yobo, Sur Lie, Bao Bao Dumpling House (who could ever pick just one?!)

 

Heather Reiley

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: Marblehead, MA
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Interests / Hobbies: I love being outside and finding ways to go up and down mountains, mostly hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter! I also love to travel and am always planning my next trip or five, whether that is a day trip or multi-month adventure. My favorite countries to explore have been Argentina, New Zealand, and Nepal.
Favorite place in Maine: It’s already hard to pick one and I still have so much to explore! Close to home, my favorite place is Willard Beach after 7 pm when the dogs are allowed to come out. My idea of heaven, especially after a long day in the hospital.
Medical interests: Rural primary care, wilderness medicine, global health
Favorite weekend destination: Home to Marblehead, MA to spend time on the water with my family What did you do before medical school: After deciding to pursue medicine during my senior year of college (I was a geography major!), I did a post-bac in NYC for 2 years. After that, I spent a year working, skiing and generally loving life in Aspen, CO.
Personal goals: My goals for residency are to take advantage of living in such an incredible place while simultaneously learning from our incredible faculty and becoming the best pediatrician I can possibly be.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: My best job was working at the Aspen Institute in Colorado. Having a “real” job in a mountain town was the best of both worlds.
Why Maine Medical Center: I knew on my interview day I wanted to train here. Growing up in New England, I was already familiar with the Portland and I knew how awesome the lifestyle was in Maine, but it was the people I met on my interview day that sold me. I also loved the size of the program, and the opportunities for rural medicine. MMC Pediatrics had everything I was looking for in a program and I am so thrilled to be a part of it.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… travel agent. I love planning adventures!
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Taco Trio (SoPo represent!)
Personal Quote: anything John Muir

 

Aaron Wallace

Year in program: PGY3
Hometown: West Hartford, CT
Undergraduate: Skidmore College
Medical School: Emory University School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Jazz/Rock Saxophone, Hiking, Biking, Cooking/Fermentation
What did you do before medical school: I studied music in college. Afterwards I spent four years doing biomedical research and taking night classes before applying to medical school.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Segway Tour Guide at the Boston Museum of Science!
Why Maine Medical Center: I chose MMC for a number of reasons. The location met my and my family’s personal goals, and I fell in love with Portland on my interview day. At MMC, I found a tight-knit, compassionate environment where residents are given the autonomy to learn by doing, while constantly feeling the support of attendings when needed. All of the attendings I have worked with so far have been pro-active teachers, always asking what I need to be the most successful and get the most out of residency. I was lucky to find this incredible program in an incredible location, and am excited for the next few years!
Celebrity I most resemble: John Lennon. I had long hair during a semester abroad in Australia and could not go anywhere new without people stopping me to ask for a picture with them.

Rachel Coffey, D.O.

Year in program: Chief Resident
Hometown: Rhinebeck, NY
Undergraduate: Fordham University (go rams)
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: The outdoors. Epic picnics. Jigsaw puzzles. Sunrises.
Favorite place in Maine: Little John Island Preserve
Medical interests: Keep changing!
Why Maine Medical Center: I instantly felt connected with residents and supported by faculty. I saw education as a priority in the training. I liked that the curriculum balanced inpatient and outpatient experiences. But most importantly, I listened to my gut.
Celebrity I most resemble: Elaine Benes, but only on the dancefloor.
Favorite restaurants in Portland:
Donut: Eighty 8
Oyster: The Shop
Coffee: CoffeeMeUp
Bagel: Maples (not in Portland)
Burger: Black Cow
Fries: ..Also Black Cow
Pizza: Maine Beer Co (also not in Portland)
Margarita: Terlingua
Lobster Roll: I’ll never tell

Gabriela DeOliveira, MD

Year in program: PGY2
Hometown: Novi, Michigan
Undergraduate: Central Michigan University
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Hiking, drawing, reading
Favorite place in Maine: Portland
Medical Interests: Primary Care and Rural Medicine
Favorite Maine activity: Hiking and drawing the beautiful scenery
What did you do before medical school: While completing my undergraduate education, I worked in a research lab studying social networks and their influence on hormones in fish.
Why Maine Medical Center: I just love everything about the program here and Maine in general. Everyone in the residency program is genuinely friendly, caring and very supportive of our education and career interests. Portland is a fantastic place to live and is just the right size for a city, not too small and not too big. There are so many great opportunities for hiking in the city and in surrounding areas. As a bonus, I have always wanted to live near the ocean and now on my days off I go to the beach!

Maria Libertin, MD

Year in program: PGY2
Hometown: Green, OH
Undergraduate: Xavier University
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Interests / Hobbies: playing sports especially soccer, Cleveland sports, baking, cooking, hiking, anything in the outdoors
Favorite place in Maine: Ogunquit
Medical interests: Advocacy and ethics, Hospitalist medicine, Primary Care
Favorite Maine activity: Beach time and hiking! Also eating the endless, wonderful food!
What did you do before medical school: Worked as a camp counselor for children with special needs and as an ED scribe
Why Maine Medical Center: I loved the program and the city. The program offered the tight knit community of a small program, where everyone is close and the mentors/faculty are able to actually know the residents but it also offered the large catchment area that would give me great exposure to interesting patients and patient populations. The city is beautiful, there is an endless amount of things to do and the outdoors are breathtaking. It is very walkable and offers something to do each season. Lastly, I chose this program because I felt like I could see how passionate the staff was about their population and kids they serve. That was really important to me because ultimately these residents and faculty would become my mentors, so I wanted to pick a place that mirrored the pediatrician I want to become.

Julia Oppenheimer, MD

Year in program: PGY2
Hometown: Pelham, Massachusetts
Undergraduate: Barnard College
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Interests / Hobbies: Hiking, cycling, baking, knitting
Favorite place in Maine: Acadia
Medical interests: Primary Care
Favorite Maine activity: Hiking, walking by the ocean, eating wild blueberries
What did you do before medical school: I worked in a greenhouse during college, then spent two years at Boston Children’s Hospital working on an initiative to improve symptom monitoring for children with epilepsy and ADHD.
Why Maine Medical Center: I was looking for a small, close-knit, and supportive residency program with strong primary care training and opportunities to experience rural practice. Maine Medical Center ticked all the boxes for me and more - to be able to live in Portland and enjoy the ocean, mountains, and incredible food offerings with a wonderful group of co-residents is a dream come true.

Mitchell Peterson, MD

Year in program: PGY2
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Undergraduate: The University of Utah
Medical School: The University of Utah School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Running, cycling, taking my dog on hikes
Favorite place in Maine: Anywhere along the coast
Medical interests: PEM, PICU
Favorite Maine activity: Taking a ferry to one of the islands nearby and spending the day exploring.
What did you do before medical school: I worked in an anatomy lab creating dissections for students. Kind of gross in retrospect, but hey, I did meet my wife there.
Why Maine Medical Center: The people. Everyone is kind, helpful, and truly invested in your education inside the hospital, as well as your passions outside of it.

Hannah Yeomans, MD

Year in program: PGY2
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Undergraduate: Bucknell University
Medical School: SUNY Upstate
Interests / Hobbies: hiking, reading, rollerblading, knitting
Favorite place in Maine: All the beaches!
Medical interests: Some sort of inpatient medicine, global and refugee health
Favorite Maine activity: Hiking, kayaking and exploring this beautiful state!
What did you do before medical school: Worked at an ice cream place; it was tons of fun!
Why Maine Medical Center: I loved how kind everyone I interacted with seemed and that it was a place that would foster learning and growth. The hospital was also in a smaller city which I wanted, but Portland has such a vibrant community that you don't miss out on any of the bigger city life. All of the wonderful Maine nature so close was also a bonus! 

Makenzie Zidek, DO

Year in program: PGY2
Hometown: Leechburg, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate: Allegheny College
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic
Medicine Interests / Hobbies: Playing basketball, golfing, doing anything outdoors
Favorite place in Maine: Two Lights State Park
Medical interests: Primary Care
Favorite Maine activity: Spending as much time that I can on the beach and enjoying all of the great restaurants in Portland
What did you do before medical school: I served a year with the National Health Corps in Pittsburgh, PA
Why Maine Medical Center: At MMC there is a great sense of community and you feel like you are part of a family. You receive a great education and work with faculty who love to teach! I also wanted a program that would expose me to a diverse patient population and give me opportunities to explore medicine in an urban and rural setting.

Ambia Ahmed

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Mogadishu, Somalia
Undergraduate and medical school: Nile Collage - Khartoum, Sudan
Interests / Hobbies: Cooking, baking and traveling
Favorite places in Maine: Ogunquit and Peaks island
Medical Interests: Primary Care, teaching, global and refugee health
Favorite Maine activity: enjoying the ocean views
What did you do before medical school: Went directly to Medical school, no time off. After completing medical school, I worked as pediatric general practitioner in Saudi Arabia for 3 years.
Why Maine Medical Center: I moved into Maine with my husband and never looked back. Portland is an amazing and diverse city. It is full of great restaurants and has amazing and stunning scenes. The residency program is well structured and everyone is supportive and caring. MMC was my first choice and I felt that it would fulfill my career interests and goals.

Elizabeth George

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Alpharetta, GA
Undergraduate: Washington and Lee University
Graduate: Yale School of Public Health
Medical School: Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Anything outdoors with my husband and dog, DIY projects, and watching British murder mysteries
Favorite place in Maine: Harpswell Peninsula
Medical Interests: Still exploring the options
Favorite Maine activity: Camping with a view of the ocean and learning to surf
What did you do before medical school: I got an MPH and spent a few years working on patient outcomes research and hospital quality measurement at Yale
Why Maine Medical Center: I love the small size of the program and how invested everyone is in helping us succeed. The people I've met and worked with at MMC bring out the best in me and care so much about each other, our patients, and the community.

Jessica Iyer

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Undergraduate: Cornell University
Medical School: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Interests/ Hobbies: yoga, traveling, cycling classes, hiking, music/concerts
Favorite place in Maine: There’s still so much to explore! Anywhere with water and dogs, which is basically everywhere.
Medical interests: Neonatology, Adolescent medicine
Favorite Maine activity: Exploring the beautiful outdoors. Plus, Portland has great food, great breweries, and so many cute little shops.
What did you do before medical school: I got a Masters in Epidemiology, with a concentration in Maternal and Child health, at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. I also worked on HIV prevention projects for adolescents in Baltimore.
Why Maine Medical Center: During the interview process, MMC stood out to me for several reasons. Residents are able to gain autonomy while learning closely from attendings (benefit of no fellows!), who get to know you well over the years. Further, MMC has deep ties to the community, and offers opportunities to get involved with projects to serve a diverse patient population. Everyone here is incredibly warm, supportive, and passionate about what they do. Portland is a beautiful, quaint, comfortable and exciting place to live. People that move to Maine often stay in Maine - and for me that was so telling of how awesome and special this place is!

Christina Rittenhouse

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!)
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Exploring with my dog, Pippa, trying new restaurants, skiing, road bicycling
Favorite place in Maine: Portland
Medical Interests: Primary care, possibly NICU
Favorite Maine activity: Eating New England oysters and walking along the Eastern Promenade Trail in Portland
What did you do before medical school: During undergrad I did research related to nutrition and physical activity. After graduating, I worked as a unit secretary in an ICU and had a ton of fun as a nanny for a newborn baby!
Why Maine Medical Center: It was absolutely a gut feeling. I was a little nervous prior to interviewing that I wouldn't find the right fit or feel like I belonged within a program (especially over zoom), but when I interviewed at Maine Med, I felt more comfortable than I had in any other interview! I loved getting to know the residents and faculty, the size of the program, the autonomy and confidence the residents have, and the close relationships with amazing faculty. Not to mention the stellar location, abundant outdoor activities, and food scene in Portland!! I could not be happier with my decision.

Rachel Rockers

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: Woodbridge, CT
Undergraduate: Boston University
Medical School: Boston University
Interests / Hobbies: Running, traveling, hiking
Favorite place in Maine: Any beach!
Medical Interests: Emergency medicine, global health
Favorite Maine activity: Playing on the beach with my children
What did you do before medical school: Worked in technology research for 5 years, got a Masters in Development Economics and then worked in South Africa doing economic research on HIV for a couple more years
Why Maine Medical Center: I like the smaller size of the program as well as its focus on teaching and wellness. The Portland area is also a wonderful place to raise a family - I can get out of work and meet my family by the beach within 15 minutes!

Paolo Tavares

Year in program: PGY1
Hometown: New Bedford, MA
Undergraduate: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Medical School: University Of Massachusetts School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Fishing, Camping, Exploring to find animals
Favorite place in Maine: Eastern Promenade, Portland
Medical Interests: Primary Care, cardiology, genetics
Favorite Maine activity: Exploring nature and enjoying the breath taking views
What did you do before medical school: I ran track at Umass Amherst along with working in a primate research lab with Rhesus macaques. During my gap year I was a medical scribe and coached wrestling and track.
Why Maine Medical Center: Everything about the program is genuine from the people to how they practice medicine and focus on patient centered care. You can tell the passion everyone has to be part of Maine Medical Center and what it means to serve as the medical hub for the entire state. The support from the program is phenomenal and they take their time to get know who their residents are and are accommodating for their interests and personal life. The program invests a lot into their residents and from the get go I knew they had my back in order for me to succeed and be happy. Also you couldn’t put a pediatric residency in a better place. Portland is a beautiful city with everything you could ask for without the craziness of major cities.