HuMed

Study the Humanities While Preparing to Attend UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine

UNE’s HuMed program is for undergraduate students who have an affinity for history, literature, or philosophy, along with a demonstrated aptitude for the natural sciences to pursue their passions on the pathway to medical school. Students who complete their degree in a qualifying humanities major and meet all of the HuMed requirements are guaranteed an interview for admission to UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine program, setting them at a significant advantage over other applicants. Moreover, they will have developed skills and knowledge essential to their success as medical students and career fulfillment as osteopathic physicians.

Jenna DaCosta ’21

Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities, Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

I am from Livingston, New Jersey. I was drawn to UNE for various reasons: the small class sizes, the well-recognized affiliated osteopathic medical school, the friendly environment, and the location on coastal Maine. Initially a Medical Biology major on the Pre-Med track with a minor in Nutrition, HuMed has offered me the opportunity to change my direction and focus my studies in the humanities. This change will allow me to pursue a more diverse path of studies, and help me to develop relevant skills in communication, observation, listening and becoming more tuned to people, their emotions, their lives and how differently people can react to similar situations. These are valuable skills that will aide me in assessing and treating patients with empathy and compassion once I am a physician.

My Liberal Studies major will focus on women in society. I will focus on the achievements of women — both past and present — as well as global perspectives on women’s lives and experiences. This year, I am enrolled in a “Caribbean Sustainable Development” course, for my class will travel to Dominica for two weeks. As we travel the country and study Dominica’s culture, the educational system, how the people of Dominica strive for sustainability, I will be able to compare and contrast the differences between women of Dominica and women of the U.S. While in Dominica, I will have a first-hand experience in a school, which will enable me to view the roles of girls in the Dominica educational system and thereby provide me with a better understanding the role of women in Dominica society.

HuMed ... will allow me to pursue a more diverse path of studies and develop relevant skills in communication, observation, listening and becoming more tuned to people, their emotions, their lives and how differently people react to similar situations.

Jenna DaCosta ’21

Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities, Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

Research increasingly shows that humanistic study enables development of the wisdom, empathy, communication, and other skills required of practicing physicians. To gain these benefits, HuMed students graduate having completed a senior thesis along with major requirements in English, History, or Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities. Additional curricular requirements provide structured opportunities to engage with UNE’s Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice (CAIEP, formerly the Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education) in order to gain familiarity with the team-based and patient-centered approaches that are at the leading edge of health care today.

Completing required coursework in the sciences at UNE allows students to become familiar with a faculty and campus rich in osteopathic heritage, easing the transition to professional studies. Students also benefit from the small class sizes of a humanities faculty with expertise in areas such as bioethics, history of disease, and graphic medicine that highlight the necessary interconnections between the humanities and medical science.

HuMed is an enrichment program that offers curricular flexibility — not an accelerated program. It gives students the ability to focus time, energy, and attention on aspects of the human condition not achievable via a traditional pre-med track.