Happy 2022, Class of ’87. Let’s hope that the new year is a bit less challenging than the last two have been.
Hardly anyone has been unaffected by COVID-19 in their personal and professional lives.
For many young people getting ready to graduate from UMaine and take on their first professional role, COVID-19 has added many questions and concerns.
In an effort to let newly minted dieticians understand what it’s like in the “real world,” the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics created a series of videos.
In the videos, currently practicing dieticians shared how COVID-19 has affected their work. These dieticians work in a variety of settings and in different roles.
Several of these videos feature UMaine alumni including our own Kay Gill Mullin. Kay is a diabetes specialist and works at Maine Medical Center’s pediatric outpatient clinics.
COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of telemedicine in her practice. In her video, Kay explains how telehealth reduced the need for her or her patients to travel, and virtually eliminated cancellations due to the weather.
Kay noted that she can see how patients do things at home and she makes suggestions or provides instructions. This insight was not available in a clinical setting and is one more benefit that she sees from the “new” way of providing care.
I have used telemedicine myself and found it to be very convenient. It’s not a good fit for all health issues, but for many situations it’s the difference between taking the morning off from work and just hopping on a quick call with your doctor.
In other news, Dan Tremble ’87 served a three-year term as chair on the Bangor City Council. Dan owns Fairmount Market and the Ground Round Grill and Bar in Bangor.