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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Dr. Bruce Bates named founding chair of UNECOM Department of Geriatric Medicine

  Bruce P. Bates, D.O., FACOFP, who has served a decade as chair of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine's Department of Family Practice, has been named founding chair of the new Department of Geriatric Medicine.

The announcement was made by John R. Gimpel, D.O., M.Ed.,  vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Bates has been charged with advancing the Department of Geriatric Medicine through trans-university initiatives, undergraduate and graduate opportunities in education and research, and further expansion of geriatric health services through University Health Care.

With its longstanding commitment to geriatric care and education, UNECOM has been recognized for excellence in geriatrics, and its University Health Care MatureCare practice is the largest geriatric medical practice devoted to long-term care in Maine.  The new department coincides with UNECOM's Strategic Plan, which calls for creating a new Department of Geriatric Medicine, rather than a division of geriatrics within the Family Medicine Department, as has been the case since 1988.

Dr. Bates joined UNECOM in 1984 as associate dean for Clinical Affairs, and served in that capacity until 1999, when he became chair of the Department of Family Practice.  In addition to his new role as chair of this new department, Dr. Bates will remain chair of the Committee on Admissions, and will continue to direct UNECOM's Clinical Performance Center.

Effective March 1, 2009, the new Department of Family and Community Medicine will be led by Interim Chair and Associate Dean for Clinical Education Ken Johnson, D.O., and a search will be formed for a new permanent chair.  This new department will have a number of functional divisions, including the Division of Community Medicine, which will house UNECOM's Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.