UNE medical student selected for two national committees

Marissa Canty (D.O. ’27) had a future in hospital administration in mind when she earned an MBA before enrolling in Maine’s only medical school at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. While her career path is atypical, Canty wanted to earn the two advanced degrees to ensure she could be a powerful advocate for both patients and medical professionals in the future. 

Canty will take another step toward that goal when she serves on two national committees overseen by the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Medical Student Section (MSS) Governing Council. Serving on one AMA committee is a prestigious honor. On July 5, Canty was selected to serve on two. 

“I believe it’s extremely valuable for a healthcare provider to have a voice at the table to educate administrators about what’s needed for both patients and providers. I think it’s very important to be able to speak both languages to do this,” Canty said.    

Each year, the AMA- MSS council appoints AMA medical student members to serve on its standing committees. Canty listed her top three choices in her AMA application — but then was selected to serve on both the Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine (CEQM) and the Committee on Long Range Planning (COLRP).  

The CEQM creates reports on quality assurance and the economics of practicing medicine and works to engage the student association through webinars, social media, and programming at conferences. The work the CEQM does to improve the processes related to patient safety appealed to Canty. 

The COLRP works to sustain the longevity of healthcare students across the country by addressing issues faced by medical students, such as helping to avoid burnout, something else Canty wants to help correct. 

“How can we support medical students to help eliminate burnout as much as we can? I saw that was a big focus of the committee in the past, and that definitely piqued my interest,” Canty said. 

The fact Canty was invited by the national organization to serve on two committees surprised Marilyn Gugliucci, a professor and the director of Geriatrics Education and Research in the UNE medical school. But Gugliucci said Canty’s resolve to work in the field and improve health care administration is strong. 

“I have a sense she will represent UNE COM very well in both of these committees,” Gugliucci said. “The corporatization of medical care is a challenge. Marissa’s academic and clinical journey provided her with firsthand experiences to maneuver through changes within healthcare financing, administration, and quality standards on patient care, provider well-being, and the overall health of communities.” 

Before coming to UNE, Canty received her MBA at Binghamton University in New York, where she also worked as the chief of an ambulance service helping to provide high-quality care for patients and better working conditions for those on the ambulance crew. 

Now she believes serving on the two AMA committees will help her achieve these goals on a larger scale. She will serve on both committees until June 2025. 

“In my master’s degree, I was very involved in understanding the intersection of quality improvement and the leadership principles associated with how we can implement changes within an organization that will be of value to the employees and the customers they serve,” Canty said. “Being able to collaborate with medical students across the country with different perspectives and experiences will truly allow me to get a better, more multidimensional view of what’s impacting the healthcare field, and I am honored to take this with me to future roles.”