Maine Medical Center
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Research & Scholarly Activity

We consider resident research and scholarly activity to be a particular strength of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at MMC. Participation in research, quality improvement, and case presentations at regional and national meetings all provide a critical dimension to physician training, above and beyond patient care experiences.  These activities also inform patient care for the future, as residents transition to roles as practicing physicians in a variety of clinical settings.  Many of our residents complete more than one project during their three years with us.

Our program supports resident scholarly work in a variety of ways. Kathleen Fairfield, MD, DrPH, Associate Chief of Medicine for Research and Quality Improvement, is a general internist and epidemiologist who has served as Director of Research and Scholarly Activity for the residency program since 2002. The residency program also supports a full time Research Navigator to work in conjunction with Dr. Fairfield. Together, our research support team helps residents identify a mentor, refine research questions, perform power calculations, navigate IRB requirements, develop intramural research proposals, gather and analyze data, and prepare abstracts, posters, scientific presentations, and manuscripts from their work.

MMC supports trainee research in a variety of ways as well. A didactic course, Introduction to Clinical and Translational Research, is offered each fall and spring for residents and fellows across the Medical Center. The Medical Center allocates over $50,000 per year for trainee research grants, which is administered by the Mentored Research Committee (MRC). These grants support data collection, laboratory materials, poster development, and travel to a national or international research meeting to present findings. The Department of Medicine and its specialty Divisions include a variety of clinician-researchers who have successfully mentored resident projects year after year. This mentorship enriches the residency experience with research and is a testament to the dedication of the faculty. Lastly, MMC hosts the annual Costas Lambrew Research Forum for residents and fellows from around the institution to showcase their research during oral and poster sessions.

In addition to the resources above, the MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR) provides numerous opportunities for resident research in clinical epidemiology and basic and translational research. MHIR includes 4 centers:

  1. Center for Molecular Medicine
  2. Center for Translational Research
  3. Center for Psychiatric Research
  4. Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE).  

CORE includes established clinical researchers from a variety of fields who have mentored residents in the past. Specific areas of expertise include shared decision making and health services research using data from Medicare and SEER-Medicare in areas ranging from women's health to cardiovascular procedures and outcomes, trauma, and variation in cancer treatment. In addition, many residents participate in research through the Vector-borne Disease Laboratory, which is dedicated to the study of tick-borne diseases. MHIR also participates in the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network.