Drew Weller

Undergraduate School and Major: College of the Holy Cross, BA in Chemistry

Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Life/professions/adventures prior to attending medical school: Before Med School, I was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in rural Nepal, but I also had a few odd jobs during the in-between periods such as lab quality assurance contractor, canoe and kayak livery driver, and (an early Maine connection) L.L. Bean retail worker.

Interests / Hobbies: Lots! Some of these ebb and flow, but they include rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, backpacking, and woodworking + furniture restoration.

Favorite Food: As a proud Cincinnati native I have to say Skyline Chili Cheese Coneys followed by Graeter's Ice Cream Boldly Bearcat flavor (named after my MD alma mater)

Restaurant Recommendation: Sherpa Kitchen in Boulder Colorado - Best and most authentic Nepali food I've had outside of Nepal. In Portland, for surf: Dock's Seafood. For turf: The Great Lost Bear.

Favorite TV Show or Movie: The Revenant

What book do you recommend to others and why:

Classic: Moby Dick, a terrifying thrill-of-the-chase

Fiction: The Alchemist, a self-grounding thrill-of-the-chase

Nonfiction: Into the Wild, a thought-provoking thrill-of-the-chase

Historical Nonfiction: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I listened to this while road tripping out west after an ED Rotation at an Indian Health Service Site, and think that every American should encounter this difficult perspective, preferably in American History class.

Best Arts Experience: The Cincinnati Art Museum (they have a Monet and a Van Gogh) and in general the arts in Cincinnati is phenomenal for a not-so-huge city. Also, the Bob Ross Museum in Indiana.

Favorite Hike or Ski trail: If you can safely get off-trail sometime, it's always worth it.

Favorite Beach (doesn’t have to be in Maine): Here's one that's never been said before: Pebble Beach in the Red River Gorge, KY (hint: it's not actually a beach)

Closest brush with a famous person: Dave Chapelle lives in a small town in Ohio, and I saw him chilling on a porch! Afroman also lives in a different small town (if you could call it a town). I've also met Tommy Caldwell and some other leaders in the climbing world at a certain pizza shop in Kentucky.

Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Cleaning lab mice cages for a college work-study job.

If I weren’t a doctor I would be: A small business owner facilitating some sort of access to the outdoors...Or a renowned craftsman...Or an architect......

Medical Interests: Rural Medicine, Wilderness Medicine, and Immigrant and Refugee Health

Personal Goals: I want to not only stay healthy in residency but get healthier! Some ways I hope to get there are learning how to surf, getting outside, and balancing my diet with cooking and sustainable foods.

Favorite Place in Maine: I can't quite say I have one yet!

Why MMC: Interested in Maine as a place to live from visiting with friends in college and with a tip-off from a resident at my home program that Maine EM was a hidden gem, I did a med student rotation here as an M4 to feel out MMC. Not only was the program solid in it's learning opportunities and expected responsibilities, the people were extremely friendly, passionate, and seemed happy to contribute to the team that is the ED.