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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Harvey Fineberg, president of Institute of Medicine, to speak at 2010 Commencement

The University of New England's 2010 commencement speaker will be Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., president of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

Commencement 2010 will take place On May 22, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. This will be UNE's first University-wide commencement ceremony, incorporating all five of the University's colleges.

The University of New England has a rich heritage, with its roots in Westbrook College (founded in 1831 as Westbrook Seminary), St. Francis College, and the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.  One hundred and seventy-five years after graduating its first class of students from Westbrook Seminary, the University of New England is pleased to be awarding 1,147 associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees  at the 2010 Commencement ceremony.

Dr. Fineberg will also be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree at the ceremony.

Dr. Fineberg served as provost of Harvard University from 1997 to 2001, following 13 years as dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.

He has devoted most of his academic career to the fields of health policy and medical decision making. His past research has focused on the process of policy development and implementation, assessment of medical technology, evaluation and use of vaccines, and dissemination of medical innovations.

Dr. Fineberg helped found and served as president of the Society for Medical Decision Making and also served as consultant to the World Health Organization.

At the Institute of Medicine, he has chaired and served on a number of panels dealing with health policy issues, ranging from AIDS to new medical technology. He also served as a member of the Public Health Council of Massachusetts (1976-1979), as chairman of the Health Care Technology Study Section of the National Center for Health Services Research(1982-1985), and as president of the Association of Schools of Public Health (1995-1996).

Dr. Fineberg is co-author of the books Clinical Decision Analysis, Innovators in Physician Education, and The Epidemic that Never Was, an analysis of the controversial federal immunization program against swine flu in 1976.

He has co-edited several books on such diverse topics as AIDS prevention, vaccine safety, and understanding risk in society. He has also authored numerous articles published in professional journals.

Dr. Fineberg is the recipient of several honorary degrees and the Joseph W. Mountin Prize from the US Centers for Disease Control. He earned his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from Harvard University.

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.