Dumont named Outstanding Physician Assistant of the Year

    Melanie Dumont, PA-C, CAQ-EM was selected by the Maine Association of Physician Assistants as Maine’s Outstanding Physician Assistant of the Year.
    “Mel Dumont is a professional’s professional. She is a team leader, respected by her peers, nursing and support staff,” said Mayo Physician Assistant William Sheppard. The award recognizes dedication and service both as a healthcare provider and as a citizen.

MELANIE DUMONT

    “She is passionate about good patient care and about emergency medicine. She is very good as a leader of the clinical team and is universally loved by the staff in the department,” said Dr. David McDermott, director of emergency and inpatient medicine at Mayo Regional Hospital. “She has also been an active leader on the ski patrol at Mt. Jefferson in Lee for more than 20 years,” noted McDermott.
    Dumont, a native New Englander, received her undergraduate degree in animal science from the University of Vermont. In 1988 she graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine Physician Associate Program.
    When asked about the changes in healthcare and the role of the electronic medical record (EMR) Dumont stated, “The electronic medical record has come a long way and is a great resource particularly as a tool for communication. The wonderful thing about medicine is that it is always evolving and changing with new medications, new diagnoses, new treatments and new technologies.”
    Dumont’s first job out of school was in general surgery in Syracuse, N.Y.; and in June 1989 she relocated with her husband, Dr. David Dumont, to Lincoln. Looking for a rural underserved location that needed medical providers the couple liked both the community of Lincoln and the hospital.
    Their hobbies and love for the outdoors fit the Maine profile: hiking, walking, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing and reading when it is too cold outside. Nearly 26 years later after having successfully raised two children, they are still in Lincoln.
    Dumont’s medical practice has consisted of approximately 13-1/2 years of emergency medicine and family practice in Lincoln and the past 9-1/2 years of emergency medicine at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft.
    In January, Dumont accepted a position closer to home in Lincoln working for Health Access Network in a walk-in clinic setting. She is enjoying reconnecting with former family practice patients. “I enjoy urgent care and emergency medicine and knowing that I am taking care of neighbors and people from our communities,” she said.
    Dumont continues to cover occasional shifts in the Emergency Department at Mayo Regional Hospital and is highly regarded by her colleagues and patients in both communities.
    Previous recipients of the Outstanding Physician Assistant of the Year award that have worked at Mayo include Bill Bisbee, John Smith and Bill Sheppard.