Donald Woolever, M.D.
Program Director
woolevra@cmhc.org
Hometown: Oneonta, NY
Fellowship: Faculty Development; University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill
Residency: Travis Air Force Base, CA Family Medicine Residency
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Post-baccalaureate Pre-medical: Bryn Mawr College
Undergraduate: Tufts University
Major: History and Anthropology
I grew up in Upstate New York (i.e. not “the city”) where my father was a college professor and my mother mostly stayed home with my sister and me. Both of my parents were born and grew up in India and all things Indian remained an important part of my upbringing. I developed my own connection to India as a Rotary Exchange student between high school and college and returned to South Asia as a Fulbright Scholar in Sri Lanka after matriculating from Tufts. It was during my time in Sri Lanka and through work with UNICEF that the idea of becoming a doctor first entered my head. That major course correction required a return to school and a Post-bacc Pre-med program where I met my wife, Cindy Dechenes. We both also then met the US Air Force who helped to fund the remainder of our medical education. We had our first child (Kadin) during medical school and the second (Elina) during residency. The Air Force was a great place to raise our young family and we thoroughly enjoyed our tours in Northern California, the “pan-handle” of Florida and Germany. But after 10 years of moving frequently, it felt like to time to come back home to the Northeastern US.
My wife is the Mainer in our family, but Maine does not feel all that different from Upstate New York. When we separated from the Air Force, we knew that we wanted to be in New England and I knew that I wanted to be on a residency faculty. I interviewed at a number of great residency programs in the area, but none felt quite as right as the CMMC FMR. It has a great mix of faculty and staff, interesting and diverse residents and a strong commitment to serving the underserved. It is a great environment for learning family medicine and it is a treat to come to work everyday.
My wife and I are both runners and have run 5 marathons and several half-marathons together. Maine is a beautiful place to run, as well as kayak, ski and hike. It’s a good thing we like to run because we also like to eat and there is lots of great local food! We spend a lot of our time at our kids’ soccer games, swim meets and lacrosse matches. As our history implies, we are also big travelers and seize every opportunity to sample a new destination.
Medically, I am interested in the clinical decision making process, trying to figure out the best ways to measure “health” and capitalizing on the power of the patient-physician relationship.
Deborah Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate Program Director, Behavioral Science Coordinator, Faculty
taylord@cmhc.org
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Post Doctoral Fellowship: J. Leonard Camera Rehab Center, Columbus, Ohio
Internship: The Ohio State University School of Medicine and Hospitals
Graduate School: Master’s and PhD in Health/Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Kansas
Undergraduate: University of Southern Maine
Major: Psychology
I grew up in a loving family as an adopted only child. I was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 2 and spent the better part of the next several years at Children’s Hospital in Boston. This early life experience drove my interest in the importance of treating patients in context and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs, in addition to their physical health needs. I then decided to pursue a career in Health Psychology as a way of giving back to patients, families and learners in the medical setting.
I have been partnered since 1979 with Louise, who is truly my soul mate (she likes to kid me that she is the only one who would put up with my adopted/only child (aka “spoiled”) behavior. Louise and I are both “Maine-iacs” and make our home in Portland with our 4 felines. I love the 1.5 hour commute daily – it gives me time for reflection, satisfying my NPR fix and listening to great music (any genre welcome).
I just started my 20th year with the residency. It is a truly special environment, and – really feels like a work “family” to me. As a cancer survivor (and is typical based on the literature about survivors), I am quite intolerant of unhappiness or any perception of wasted time. I experience real joy coming to work every day…..if I did not, I would have left a long time ago!
Lou and I love to cook, and love spending time with friends (especially having folks over for dinner), we collect antiques (including but not limited to marbles [not to replace ones I have lost…I hope], advertising tip trays, women-themed wall art, etc), and enjoy the seasons in Maine. We are lucky to have a lakeside 3 season cottage not far from work and home, which makes spring/summer/fall weekends pure heaven.
My clinical interests center on caring for patients and families around chronic disease and end of life. I also love mentoring learners around having difficult conversations, partnering with patients/families around health and care plans, and realizing the joy of the continuous healing relationship as a gift of being a family physician.
Edmund Claxton, Jr., M.D.
Faculty
claxtone@cmhc.org
Dr. Claxton began teaching at the CMMC Family Medicine Residency in 1978, as he was starting a family medicine group practice. Prior to becoming the program's director in 2001, he served as an inpatient teaching service attending and was a community preceptor at the CMMC Oscar Treat Turner Family Medicine Center.
The Lewiston-Auburn community and the Maine Academy of Family Medicine have recognized him as an outstanding family physician. He has completed a healthcare leadership fellowship and is working to develop leadership curriculae for residents and for physician leaders in Maine.
Dr. Claxton recently served as medical director at Marshwood Nursing Care Center in Lewiston and was responsible for the Residency's geriatrics, hospice and palliative care curriculae.
He has chaired the Central Maine Healthcare Credentials Committee for five years and is on the boards of the CMMC College of Nursing and Health Professions, the Maine Public Health Association and the Institute for Civic Leadership.
Having stepped down from the program directorship in 2009, he continues as a part-time faculty member and is working with the Central Maine Medical Group. (CMMG is Central Maine Healthcare's employed provider to redesign care processes to improve the quality, safety and consistency of care our patients receive.)
Thomas Hattan MD
Faculty
hattanth@cmhc.org
Hometown: Princeton NJ
Medical School: St. Louis University
Residency: Internal Medicine, Madigan Army Medical Center
Fellowship: Geriatircs, Puget Sound VA and Madigan Army Medical Center
Boards: IM, Geriatrics, Palliative Care Medicine
Undergraduate: UNH
Major: History
I live in Yarmouth Maine with my wife and love Emma Wilson and our 3 children Isabelle, Johanna and David. Sports, concerts, books, chores, functions, family are my life’s blood. I am one of eight sons and four daughters of Dr. Richard and Mary Hattan of Salisbury NH. I enjoyed an Irish American Catholic upbringing with 4 MDs and
3 RNs among us.
My journey to Geriatric medicine began at the age of twelve when our demented grandmother had to move to a nursing home. I visited her and was terrified. Not visiting her again for months, she awakened from her stupor to berate me; I was more terrified. I grew. I partially overcame my fears and learned to love the long term care environment. I hope to continually improve upon the care of the frail elderly. I hope to evolve and focus my skills, to teach, to lead, to follow and be a team member that provides a dignified and appropriate system of care for the frail elderly. My position as a faculty member at the Family Medicine Residency allows me the flexibility to practice, grow and teach Geriatric medicine. I am thankful for it and will work to maintain this energy.
Bruce Kenney, D.O., Director of Osteopathic Medical Education
Wilderness & International Medicine, Faculty
kenneyb@cmhc.org
Name: Bruce Kenney, DO
Hometown: Yarmouth
Medical School: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Missouri-Columbia
Major: Sociology
I feel most at home both with other people working collaboratively towards a common goal, and in the natural world where the ecology of living systems can be experienced first hand. It is this unified systems reality that most fascinates me about health and healing. I grew up in the Midwest and found my true home here in northern New England, and am most passionate about Wilderness and International Medicine. As a Family Physician and the Osteopathic Program Director, it is a privilege to attempt to assist every resident and every patient in reaching their maximum potential. Life is a journey to embrace at its fullest, and we are thankful to have this type of symbiotic learning environment at the CMMC Family Medicine Residency.
Why Lewiston/CMMC FMR? I have always been a team player at heart, and at CMMC FMR I found the opportunity to join a terrific team that thrives on going from good to great. CMMC is an organization that thrives on innovation and the willingness to try it out.
Interests: Foreign travel, speaking Spanish, Foreign medical volunteerism, gardening, sports and outdoor recreation (camping, hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering, XC skiing, cycling, canoeing, swimming), music, nutrition and complementary medicine.
Erica Lovett, M.D.
Integrative Medicine, Faculty
lovetter@cmhc.org
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Fellowship: Integrative Family Medicine, Joint Fellowship between MMC in Portland ME and Univeristy of Arizona in Tucson, AZ
Residency: Family Medicine Residency at Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, ME.
Undergraduate: University Colorado
Major: B.A.: Psychology, Minor in Biochemistry
I grew up in Boulder, Colorado – recently voted one of the worst dressed places in the United States, likely because of its fanatical blend of outdoor enthusiasts and hippy culture. It is no surprise that my interests leaned towards a type of medicine that combined alternative and conventional healing. I spent my undergraduate years in Boulder, Colorado and enjoyed experiencing and learning about other cultures both in the United States and abroad. I participated in a service learning program where I learned about homeless populations by spending time in a homeless shelter, working on a Navajo reservation in Arizona and spending time delivering public health services to families living in inner city Kingston, Jamaica. I continued my education in Portland, OR and developed a new love for river kayaking and sea kayaking. Oregon was a wonderful extension of that fitness/hippy culture meets garage band music with immigrants from all over Asia. Little did I know when I moved to Portland, ME that my new love of kayaking was the seed planted so I’d meet my husband. My husband grew up in Auburn and his whole family, now my family, also lives in this area. I now have two wonderful sons and we continue to look for fun and adventure.
Once I completed my residency in integrative family medicine, I wanted to continue teaching and using my skills and knowledge. This residency was best for my family and for my professional goals. Since I started here in 2007, I have enjoyed the supportive collegial atmosphere, teaching residents and medical students, and the ability to expand myself as an integrative family medicine physician who takes care of all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or lack of insurance coverage.
My family is very important to me, including my extended family, thus we spend a lot of time with my husband’s extended family here in the L/A area and traveling to Colorado to visit my family. I love the outdoors and until my children can whitewater kayak, my husband and I focus on walking and bike rides to the field near our home and car camping with small hikes. I’ve also picked up ice hockey – which is fabulous!
Medically, I’m interested in integrative medicine, women’s health including maternity care, as well as pediatrics. My ultimate goal would be to create a clinic that supports the health, enjoyment and longevity of its staff and physicians while providing a healing space for the patients it serves.
Bethany Picker, M.D.
Medical Director, Women's Health, Faculty
pickerbe@cmhc.org
Hometown: Colebrook, CT
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Undergraduate: Bryn Mawr College
Major: Psychology
Residency: University of Colorado, Rose Family Medicine
Fellowship: Faculty Development, Duke University
I am from rural Connecticut which, despite what you may think, is not an oxymoron. As my brother likes to say, “The town’s population only broke 1000 when the New Yorkers came in the summer.” I loved it there and when I had to decide where to practice, I wanted a similar area. So, after residency I came east to Maine and practiced full scope family medicine in a rural area. Then, I began teaching. It started with a student here and there—my practice was an AHEC site for students from the University of New England. Then I had a Nurse Practitioner from the University of Maine in Orono for a whole semester. I was bitten by the bug and wanted to make teaching a bigger part of my life. Even though I had only been with my patients less than three years, it was hard to leave. I told them the adage I tell myself -“ If you want to feed someone for a day, catch a fish, if you want to feed someone forever, teach them how to fish.” I feel I am helping underserved patients everywhere by teaching residents and medical students. Now, being here with my husband and children, I love where we live and what I’m doing. What could be better?
CMMC Family Medicine Residency is simply a great place to work. I have colleagues that are smart, thoughtful, nice and fun. The residents are an energetic, inquisitive group that keep me on my toes. As Medical Director, I have had the opportunity to work with the staff in new ways and have been equally impressed by their initiative and drive.
Lewiston itself is a nice mix of small city and small town. It is easy to get to the outdoor activities we love as well as a night out in Portland.
My medical interests have changed and grown recently. I am currently the medical director and now have more interest in developing systems of care that treat patients effectively and efficiently. This includes patient safety, developing lasting effective patient relationships and ensuring high quality care. I enjoy thinking about and trying to influence healthcare policy on a national level. I continue to maintain my interest in women’s health including maternity care. I love caring for young families.
Gary Rivard, D.O.
UNECOM Clinical Campus Director, Faculty
rivardga@cmhc.org
Hometown: Biddeford, ME
Residency: Central Maine Family Medicine Residency Program, Lewiston, ME
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Southern Maine
Major: Biology, Biochemistry
I grew up in Maine but traveled to other areas of the country for a year or two at a time and was somewhat of a nomad. Although I would like to say medicine was always a plan, it was not. Having a major in Biology and a minor in Philosophy probably reveals how conflicted I can be. I’m a firm believer that there are stages in life and I went through many transitions prior to choosing medicine, understanding that the commitment to this career would be “life changing” and permanent (at least for awhile). I chose Osteopathic medicine because some really great people I knew were Osteopathic physicians – it was that simple. I’m married to a terrific girl named Erika and I have two amazing children, Evan and Meghan. I can often be found on the golf course (cliché - except that I’m not that good).
One of the most life changing stages for me was residency here at CMMC. I had the opportunity to advance my skills as a teacher and felt that this was the place to be. Longest interview ever! The faculty modeled everything I felt I wanted to be in a physician. So here I am. I get to take great care of patients and watch people with medical school diplomas grow into their lives as doctors. Very cool.
My family is what I am interested in most of the time. I can be distracted with golf or anything having to do with football. Fortunately, my family is also at least marginally interested in the things that I like, so “win,win.” I like to relive my youth with an occasional session of Guitar Hero or Rock Band. I would be leaving a lot out, however, if I didn’t say that medicine is still incredibly interesting to me and I love learning something new every day.
Hunter Sharp D.O.
Faculty
Name: Eric Hunter Sharp, DO
Hometown: Newberry,S.C.
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM)
Undergraduatr: Davidson Colldge
Major: Chemistry, minor - Medical Humanities
When I moved closer to my daughter, I wanted to stay in Osteopathic Medical Education. CMMC was the closest hospital with an Osteopathic Residency, so it was a natural choice. I already knew faculty member Gary Rivard, DO from his training as a medical student and through various committees associated with Osteopathic Medical Education within the state of Maine. After talking with him at lengths, I decided to join the Residency Teaching Faculty at CMMC.
My interests include: my daughter, OMM, downhill skiing, kayaking, biking, hiking, anything outdoors.
Jennifer Fish, L.S.W. MSM-HCA
Case Manager
fishjen@cmhc.org
Jennifer serves as full-time case manager for the Family Medicine Residency patients. Should a patient/family need financial, transportation, social service or mental health assistance, the health care providers (residents and faculty alike) can consult with Jennifer about resources to which the patient/family may be entitled. She also provides didactics to the resident group about managing the social concerns of their patients and family members once they are out in community practice. This practice of collaborative care is very good modeling for how residents can work with mental health specialists and to maximize health benefits.
Jen was born at CMMC and raised in this area. Jenn and husband Tom have two children, grown daughter Vanessa and young son Owen. They enjoy spending their free time with Owen and their two dogs. Owen participates in basketball, football and baseball.
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