MaineHealth, northern New England’s largest healthcare provider, has tapped a well- known and highly regarded public health leader to drive its community health efforts on behalf of the 1.1 million people in its service area in Maine and New Hampshire.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, who for 15 years starting in 1996 served as Maine’s State Health Officer and Director of the Maine CDC, will join MaineHealth in November as senior vice president, community health. She replaces Deborah Deatrick, leader of MaineHealth’s community health efforts for the past 20 years, who plans to retire in January.

“We are both fortunate and excited to have Dr. Mills joining our team,” said William Caron, president of MaineHealth. “Deb Deatrick has established our organization as a national leader in promoting health and wellness, and Dr. Mills is uniquely qualified to build on that work supporting our vision of ‘working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.’”

“This is a special opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people in Maine and Carroll County, N.H.,” said Mills. “Always during my time working in public health in Maine, we could count on MaineHealth to be a leader in promoting healthy lifestyles and addressing our most pressing public health concerns. Now, in this role, I get to drive those efforts in partnership with government and community organizations.”

A native of Farmington and a graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Mills holds a medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Mills began her medical career as a hospitalist pediatrician at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., and later practiced as a pediatrician in her hometown at Pine Tree Medical Associates, part of Farmington-based Franklin Community Health Network.

Mills joins MaineHealth from the University of New England, where she was vice president for clinical affairs. Mills joined UNE in 2011 during a critical period of growth for the university. During her time there, she led clinical education and practice initiatives, working to establish and strengthen relationships between UNE and its clinical affiliates, especially health systems and federally qualified health centers in northern New England.

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