STATEMENT: UNE & MPHA Announce Innovative Workforce Training Partnership
April 7, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2026
Media Contacts:
Alan Bennett, UNE Assistant Director of Communications
(207) 210-8537 | abennett11@une.edu
Rebecca Boulos, MPHA Executive Director
(207) 450-0649 | rebecca.boulos@mainepublichealth.org
University of New England and Maine Public Health Association Announce Innovative Workforce Training Partnership
The partnership will leverage UNE’s new Institute of Public and Planetary Health to provide critical transdisciplinary public health workforce training for UNE students.
PORTLAND, Maine — The University of New England’s new Institute of Public and Planetary Health and the Maine Public Health Association (MPHA) are teaming up to give students hands-on, team-based training for careers tackling today’s biggest health issues — from climate change to aging populations to health care access.
Starting in spring 2026, students across multiple programs, including public health, nutrition, marine science, climate change leadership, medicine, and business, will work together with MPHA to solve real-world problems, learn how to advocate for change, and connect with mentors already working in the field.
According to UNE Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Gwendolyn Mahon, M.Sc., Ph.D., acting director of the new Institute of Public and Planetary Health, this new partnership is critical because health problems don’t fit neatly into boxes.
“Climate change affects food systems, food systems affect chronic disease, and communities need workers who can see these connections and work across industries to find solutions,” Mahon said. “We are excited to be MPHA’s premier transdisciplinary training partner, working together to prepare the next generation of Maine workers to be global thinkers and local implementors. The challenges facing Maine and the world are too complex for any one field to solve alone."
The partnership connects UNE students with the Maine Public Health Association’s network of more than 80 organizations across the state — from hospitals to environmental groups to community nonprofits.
“This is about giving tomorrow’s health professionals and business leaders real-world experience. They’ll develop practical skills like advocacy and systems thinking while building relationships with professionals already doing this work,” said MPHA Executive Director Rebecca Boulos, Ph.D., M.P.H. “We are grateful for UNE’s leadership in interprofessional, team-based health education, and we are excited to provide cross-disciplinary training for even more UNE students, faculty, and professional staff in complex systems, advocacy, and mentorship.”
As part of this unique partnership, UNE students, faculty, and professional staff enrolled in and affiliated with its Institute of Public and Planetary Health will receive MPHA membership, including additional opportunities for professional development and skills training. UNE’s Institute of Public and Planetary Health is now MPHA’s largest academic member.
About the Maine Public Health Association
The Maine Public Health Association is the state’s oldest, largest, and most diverse association for public health professionals, representing more than 900 individual members and 80 organizations across the state. Our mission is to advance health for all people and places in Maine through advocacy, education, partnerships, and support for the public health workforce. Visit www.mainepublichealth.org.
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 online offerings. 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. We are the state’s top provider of health professionals and home to Maine’s only medical and dental colleges, physician assistant program, and pharmacy school, in addition to a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care programs and nationally recognized programs in the marine sciences, the natural and social sciences, business, the humanities, and the arts. Visit www.une.edu.
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