University of New England

Beginning with a 1994 grant to build the University of New England‘s Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences, the Foundation has supported UNE’s growth as Maine’s leading health care educator. The Center for Health Sciences, located on the Biddeford campus, has served as the home of UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM), Maine’s only medical school. In the words of the University, “the Alfond Center for Health Sciences put UNECOM on the map and helped it grow to become the largest provider of primary care physicians for the State of Maine and a recognized leader in Interprofessional Education focused on team-based patient care.”

In 2010, the Foundation supported the construction of the Harold Alfond Forum, a combination athletic/academic center, on the University’s Biddeford campus. Featuring a hockey rink and basketball and performance courts, as well as classrooms, the Forum has spurred the growth of athletic and affiliated health care programs, major tools in the recruitment and retention of UNE undergraduate students. The 2010 grant also included a matching challenge to help launch the University’s interprofessional health care education programs, for which UNE is now nationally recognized.

In 2020, the Foundation awarded UNE $30 million to support the relocation of UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine to its Portland campus through the construction of the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences. This 110,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility recently opened its doors, setting the stage for the medical school to increase the number of doctors it educates by 21%, training 800 future doctors at any given time. In addition to housing the medical school, the new Center is home to UNE’s interprofessional education and practice programs (IPE). Founded on facilitating collaboration and communication between health care disciplines in patient care, UNE’s IPE model is nationally recognized. With a shortage of health care workers statewide, this model demonstrates how health care professionals of all disciplines can deliver high-quality care, with fewer errors and with greater efficiency, by working together. It is teamwork at its best and a promising model for meeting our state’s needs for rural health care.