David Palmer, DO
New England Rehab Hospital

It’s spring in Maine. The bicycles come out of the garage, joggers pit-pat their way along the roadside, moms carriage their babies to the park and neighbors speak to neighbors after a long winter’s silence. Then there’s the sound of home maintenance projects and if you were to take a drive down Main Street in Saco, you would probably see Dr. Palmer on a ladder outside his 1905 Victorian pulling off siding and humming to his favorite tunes…top hits of the 70’s. He would no doubt be smiling too because “I love working on my house, every part of it. Carpentry, renovating, woodworking – have all brought me joy since I was a kid, learning from my grandfather and dad.”

Dr. Palmer grew up in Fall River, MA., an historical mill town. At the turn of century mill owners garnered exorbitant wealth, evidence by their stately mansions. “I was in awe of these homes and through the descriptions regaled by my family as we would so often drive by them, I developed an early appreciation for their elaborate style,” said Dr. Palmer.

His admiration for Victorian design stayed with him through adulthood and when Dr. Palmer came to Maine in 1998 he purchased his first home, an 1880’s Victorian in Westbrook. It had many original features including the tin ceilings and molding. He restored the house maintaining the integrity of the same period. He also furnished the home with period antiques as well as pieces Dr. Palmer refinished himself.

Dr. Palmer stayed in this house for about a year then he purchased a circa 1905 house in Saco. It was in the Queen Anne’s style with the original turret. At first he was skeptical of the house because, while it was interesting, it had been vinyl sided. Dr. Palmer said, “The realtor convinced me to look inside. It was beautifully done and obviously once housed a person of means. There was a front foyer, double parlor, 4 bed rooms, and walk-in attic. The rooms flowed beautifully. But the best part was that the kitchen had a 1915 cast iron oven. The deal was I buy the house if the stove stays.” And, Dr. Palmer been working on renovations ever since.

So how did a young man interested in carpentry end up a physician?

From Electrical Engineering to Rehab By Way of Music

As a teenager, Dave Palmer played keyboard in a band named “Carousel”. Music was very much an enjoyable part of his life. He also taught keyboard at a music store. Even though he wanted to be a musician, he knew the odds of making it as a professional were not good so he decided to pursue studio recording instead. At the time, there were only two schools of interest – one in Boston and one in CA. Dave got accepted and paid tuition to the Boston school but just before school was to start, it went bankrupt.

“Dad was an electrical engineer and I sort of inherited some of his skills. I thought of attending a local community college to see if I liked the program,” Dr. Palmer said. He did well and went on to receive his BS from UMA. He then worked at Ratheon in Middletown, RI and did technical writing for computers on submarines. “Over the course of two years it proved to be a horrible experience. I was behind a desk all the time. I was not given any opportunity to interact with people much and missed that – it just wasn’t my personality,” Dr. Palmer recalled. “I made the decision to change careers. Not sure of what that would be, I was determined to find a field I would enjoy and even though I would be faced with years, perhaps, of additional education, I was prepared for the commitment.”

Coinciding with this point of indecision, Dr. Palmer’s grandmother had a severe stroke. She had been perfectly healthy. While his mom called her primary care physician, no immediate care was given and she was not referred to a hospital. “My grandmother was home for 2 days before she was finally admitted and that was after my mom convinced the doctor to send her to the ER. The whole situation was bothersome and I wasn’t fond of his treatment,” Dr. Palmer said. While his grandmother was hospitalized, he got his first insight as to how the inpatient doctors and nurses worked as a team in caring for this stroke patient. But, unfortunately, Dr. Palmer’s grandmother passed away.

Dr. Palmer’s sentiment is strong as he states, “It was that one experience that gave me the epiphany to go into medicine. I was so angry with what happened with my grandmother and I just had this insatiable drive to do well and did - all through medical school. I graduated 7th in my class. It’s bittersweet, because knowing what I know now, I would have worked harder for a quicker response and probably saved her. But, I knew I would be a person who would always advocate on behalf of the patient and try to be a good listener.” Dave Palmer became Dr. Palmer, graduating from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993.

During his medical training, Dr. Palmer was impressed by his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation rotation at Berkshire Medical Center. The team approach of caring for stroke, BI and MS patients - doctors, nurses and therapists all working together for the successes of each patient - directed him toward physiatry. He completed his residency in PM&R at Medical College of Ohio in 1997.

Wanting to return East, Dr. Palmer was familiar with New England Rehab, inquired about a position and was interviewed by Dr. Winton Briggs. He became an active staff physician in 1997 and has since become board certified in PM&R. In addition to being on staff at NERHP, Dr. Palmer joined Portland Orthopedics in 1999 and then began a private practice in 2003, focusing on pain management.

During an interview for the New England Rehabilitation Hospital employee newsletter, The Rehab Roundup, Dr. Palmer commented on a few of our questions as follows:

What patient scenario resulted in one of the most satisfactory accomplishments of your career?
“I did a consult at SMMC on a 17 year old boy who was mentally challenged and had cerebral palsy. He lived with his mom until he was 16 but became too big for her to manage so he had been in a nursing home. His bodily functions weren’t being managed and he developed a bowel impaction. He came to NERHP, a very shy and confused patient. Our team got him to interact, he came to love the staff, he improved physically and was walking with a walker when he was discharged. It was so great seeing him come along, open up and develop his personality. The team work was unbelievable. I especially enjoy physically and mentally challenged patients. If you give them support they really show signs of appreciation.”

When Dr. Palmer worked his way through the remaining interview questions, he never missed a beat!
What’s your favorite movie? The Wizard of Oz. What do you do for relaxation? Work out. What’s fun? Camp. What is your favorite song? Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Who’s your best friend? Bau-Bau, my Chinese shar pei. What is your favorite meal? Clam Boil! WHAT? And, that’s a dish that you have to ask him about because you won’t believe it! If you know what chorizo or chorico is, you’re half-way there.

So, the next time you take a walk on a nice day and see someone scraping the side of his house, you might say to yourself, “I wonder what interesting story that person has to tell.”