PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — David Bartlett, Presque Isle High School principal, has announced that Dr. Mark Hamlin will offer the keynote address at this year’s commencement.
The 2022 ceremony is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at the Dr. Gehrig T. Johnson Athletic Complex, weather permitting. A ticket is required.
Hamlin is a 1983 graduate of Presque Isle High School. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and a master’s degree from the University of Vermont Graduate College prior to attending medical school at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He specialized in anesthesiology at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, and then received fellowship training in critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in Baltimore.
He was director of general and subspecialty surgery critical care at the University of Vermont Medical Center for 18 years prior to taking the role of vice chairman for clinical affairs for the department of anesthesiology in 2017.
Hamlin is an internationally recognized expert in the application of point-of-care ultrasound for critically ill patients and has traveled extensively around the world sharing his expertise.
One of his especially noteworthy international educational experiences was when he was part of the first combined medical education course held in Israel. This experience included faculty from both Israel and the West Bank. Hamlin said seeing them work and learn together was a uniquely rewarding experience given the conflicts of their respective governments.
Hamlin has been active in service to the community, serving two terms on the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Vermont, and volunteer work in Guatemala providing anesthesia care to adults and children needing surgery.
When not at work, he can be found with his wife, Valerie, visiting his daughters Emily and Rachel, or kitesurfing on Lake Champlain.
“We are honored to have Dr. Hamlin as the keynote speaker at the Presque Isle High School Class of 2022 commencement,” Bartlett said. “His connection to the Presque Isle community provides him with a unique perspective of our graduates. I am sure he will have a message that our students will benefit from.”
For more information, contact Judy Lake at Presque Isle High School, 764-0121.
