Sun Life U.S. has announced a $50,000 donation to Northeastern University's Roux Institute in support of its Gap Year program, which aims to enhance healthcare access across Maine. The program places recent college graduates into clinical support roles throughout the state, addressing staff shortages and improving care delivery. Since its inception in 2023, 54 graduates have participated, many choosing to remain in Maine.
Aileen Huang-Saad, director of Life Sciences, Health & Engineering at the Roux Institute, emphasized the importance of collaboration in supporting Maine's economy and residents. "We launched the Gap Year program to address the issue of access to healthcare in Maine while attracting and retaining more health professionals," she stated. She also noted Sun Life's alignment with their mission and expressed gratitude for their continued support.
The Gap Year initiative enables clinical teams to expand appointment availability and patient treatment capacity. Among participants who completed the program, 80% have stayed in Maine, with all indicating plans to pursue healthcare careers or further studies.
Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S., highlighted the company's commitment to improving Mainers' health outcomes amid a national healthcare workforce shortage. "With the growing workforce shortage crisis in the U.S. healthcare system, supporting programs like the Roux's Gap Year is an innovative way to address this issue in Maine," he remarked.
The Roux Institute offers graduate degrees in fields such as data analytics and life sciences from its Portland base. Sun Life began collaborating with the institute in 2020 on actuarial training and has engaged with its research on artificial intelligence.
In addition to partnering with Northeastern University’s Roux Institute, Sun Life collaborates with organizations like Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine and Spurwink Services to promote community health initiatives.
Sun Life is a global financial services firm operating across multiple markets including Canada, Asia-Pacific regions, and Europe. In the United States alone, it assists around 50 million Americans through various benefit offerings.
Northeastern University is recognized for its experiential learning model with campuses worldwide facilitating education and research opportunities for students globally.