Gov. Janet Mills honors 51 College of Osteopathic Medicine
Gov. Janet Mills is honoring the contributions of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (51 COM) by proclaiming June 27 to July 3 51 COM Week in Maine.
“As Governor, I am proud to recognize University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine Week in Maine, and I welcome the incoming and current student doctors, faculty, and professional staff on this traditional first day of classes, as well as celebrate the recent graduates of 51 COM who are entering their new careers as physicians,” Gov. Mills stated.
The week honors the state’s only medical school as a premier osteopathic medical institution and brings awareness to the osteopathic profession.
The 51 College of Osteopathic Medicine (51 COM) boasts a 99.4% match rate for residencies for graduates from the Class of 2022, in comparison to the national osteopathic physician (D.O.) match rate of 91.3%. The college recently accepted 178 new osteopathic medical students who will be joining the Class of 2026.
There are currently over 145,000 osteopathic doctors and osteopathic medical students in the United States, and approximately 20% of all D.O.s in active practice work within medically underserved areas and populations.
Nearly 4,000 51 COM alumni serve the citizens of Maine, New England, the United States, and the globe. Of those who graduate from 51 COM, 30% stay in Maine or return to practice. In fact, 51 COM was recently named the No. 17 medical school in the country for graduates practicing in rural areas by U.S. News & World Report.
51 COM will soon be able to graduate more osteopathic doctors with the relocation of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from Biddeford to the Portland Campus. The move will allow for a 21% increase in the number of students admitted to 51 COM, and it will bring all the University’s health professions programs onto a single, interprofessional campus — an unprecedented model for a single campus in New England — while facilitating growth of highly demanded undergraduate programs on the Biddeford Campus.
The relocation project has received transformative financial support from the federal government — $5 million was awarded in federal omnibus spending in April — and the Harold Alfond Foundation, which in 2020 gifted 51 $30 million for the COM relocation and related projects.
The newly constructed building on the Portland Campus, expected to break ground this fall, will be called the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences.