LEWISTON – Central Maine Medical Center will host a reception for retiring physician Oscar S. Cabatingan from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, in the 12 High St. Conference Center.

As a highly respected member of the Lewiston-Auburn medical community for 33 years, Cabatingan is one of the area’s most well-known physicians. His gentle demeanor and innate compassion have endeared him to patients and colleagues alike throughout his long tenure of service to the region.

Cabatingan, a specialist in internal medicine, came to the Lewiston-Auburn area in 1971. In 1974 he formed Mount David Clinical Associates with Dr. Stephen Sokol. In 1977 they were joined by Dr. William Lee. In 1990 the Mount David group, then composed of Cabatingan, Lee, Dr. Richard Stephenson and Dr. Pamela Ross, joined the newly formed Central Maine Clinical Associates to form Central Maine Internal Medicine, one of the region’s first health care system-employed physician groups.

During his years of practice in the Lewiston-Auburn area, Cabatingan has served as CMMC’s chief of medicine. He has been a central figure in the development of pulmonary care at CMMC and was instrumental in the development of the hospital’s Critical Care Unit and Respiratory Therapy Department. He was medical director of respiratory therapy from 1972 until the late 1980s.

The Dec. 7 reception is open to Dr. Cabatingan’s friends, patients and colleagues.