CARIBOU, Maine — Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services have announced the arrival of participants in the Maine Track MD Program, Jacquelyn O’Sullivan and Stephen Soohey, for their nine-month Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LIC).
In partnership with Maine Medical Center in Portland, Tufts University School of Medicine offers a Maine Track for applicants who are interested in a unique, innovative curriculum that includes clinical training experiences in Maine. The Maine Track exposes medical students to the unique aspects of rural practice as well as training in a medical center.
O’Sullivan, in the Maine Track Program Class of 2021, spent most of her childhood split between her hometown of Weymouth, Mass., and her second home in Newry, Maine. An avid skier, she attended Gould Academy in Bethel and continued to coach for the Gould freestyle team throughout college.
She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she received a BS majoring in biology and a BA majoring in Spanish. While at UMass Amherst, she was involved with biological research and volunteered with the elderly community in western Massachusetts.
After graduation she continued her research into the molecular mechanisms behind tip growth in moss while simultaneously working as a nurse’s aide on the rehab unit of a local nursing home.
“Getting accepted to the Maine track was like a dream come true for me; I’ve always been drawn to rural areas and have wanted to make Maine my permanent home since I was a child,” she said. “I feel so lucky to have access to a top-notch medical education in the state that I love and I look forward to helping give Mainers the care they deserve.”
Stephen Soohey, a fifth-generation Mainer and also in the Maine Track Class of 2021, was born at Maine General and raised in Whitefield. He completed his undergraduate studies at University of Maine, where he received his bachelor of science, majoring in molecular and cellular biology.
He was inspired to pursue a career in healthcare from watching his parents manage residential care facilities for adults with developmental disabilities, later working there himself as a Direct Support Professional and Certified Residential Medication Aide .
Outside of academics his main interest is martial arts, most recently Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
“I was born in Maine, raised here, and want to practice medicine in this state. Growing up in a small rural town, I have seen firsthand the challenges that rural medical practices face and want to be are part of the solution,” said Soohey.
“Cary and Pines are thrilled to have Jackie and Stephen on board. We hope they both will walk away from this clerkship with valuable information that they can carry with them and implement as they continue their medical career journey,” said Dr. Carl Flynn, director of the clerkship program.
Submitted by the Community Relations and Development Office of Cary Medical Center.
