About the MERGE Collaborative

Improving Health Outcomes for Maine’s Rural Population

The State of Maine funded the four ACGME Sponsoring Institutions in Maine to create a first-of-its-kind collaboration in Maine to develop high quality rural residency rotations at hospitals and community-based healthcare center across the state with a focus on giving medical residents experience caring for Maine’s diverse socio-economic, racial and regional populations.

The ME Rural GME Education (MERGE) Collaborative – a partnership with Northern Light Health, Central Maine Medical Center, Maine Medical Center and Maine-Dartmouth Family Residency Program at Maine General Hospital – will also develop faculty development for rural practitioners and a shared learning platform for an inter-disciplinary and inter-professional rural healthcare providers.

Mission

To be a sustainable state-wide collaboration that develops and supports a community for high-quality GME education for the rural and underserved.

Vision

The State of Maine will be the premier provider of rural GME and produce highly skilled, diverse and talented physicians who remain in the state after graduation because they are committed to, and prepared for, meeting the unique needs of the people and communities they serve. 

Our Goals and Initiatives

The MERGE Collaborative aims to increase the number of physicians in Maine’s rural areas, as multiple studies have demonstrated that doctors are more likely to practice in the areas where they completed their residency training.
Through this grant the MERGE Collaborative will:
For more information, contact the MERGE Program Manager or the MERGE Principal Investigator
Goals
Rated 5 out of 5
"We are thrilled to partner with all of Maine’s teaching hospitals to establish state-wide best practices that best educate our rural residents to care for our rural patients."
Dr. Kalli Varaklis, MD, MSEd, DIO Maine Medical Center

MERGE Executive Council

  • Annie Derthick, PhD – Council Chair and MERGE Rural GME Director – Central Maine Medical Center
  • Jim Jarvis, MD – MERGE Rural GME Director – Northern Light Health / Eastern Maine Medical Center
  • Tom Gearan, MD – MERGE Rural GME Director – Maine Medical Center
  • Kate Hoffmann, DO – MERGE Rural GME Director – Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency
  • Brad Schimelman, MD – VA Maine Health Care System – Togus
  • Ross Isacke, MD – Franklin Community Health Network
  • Mike Murnik, MD – Blue Hill Hospital
  • Yvonne Jonk, PhD – University of Southern Maine
  • Taz Noori, MD – Central Maine Medical Center
  • Lauren Struck, MD – Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency
  • Kneka Smith, EdD, MPH- MaineHealth
  • Jennifer Blossom, PhD – University of Maine
  • Tonya Bailey-Curry, LCSW – Ombudsman – Bates College
  • Kalli Varaklis, MD, MSEd – Principal Investigator – Maine Medical Center
  • Jon Myles, MPH – MERGE Program Manager

Jackman Community Health Center

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the GME learner with clinical experience in an isolated rural primary care medical practice with unique additional exposure to acute emergent care, as the nearest emergency departments are 60-90 minutes away, and tertiary care is 2.5 hours away.
  • Rotation Director: Patricia Doyle, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 and above
Click here to contact us and apply
Jackman Community Health Center

Franklin Memorial Hospital - Hospitalist IM

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the opportunity for rural inpatient care in a 65-bed hospital. Residents will work closely with a hospitalist providing evidence-based quality care in an acute care in a rural hospital setting including managing patients both on the ward as well as in our 4-bed intensive care unit.
  • Rotation Director: Nick Perros, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: Mid-PGY2 or above, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Franklin Health filer

Blue Hill Primary Care

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the GME learner with a modern rural general family medicine outpatient practice experience with an interprofessional team of Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and Diabetes Educators affiliated with a Critical Access Hospital on the Coast of Maine.
  • Rotation Director: Mike Murnick, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 and above
  • Open Job Opportunities: Family Medicine Physician (2)
Click here to contact us and apply
Blue Hill Hospital

Megunticook Family Medicine – Direct Primary Care

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the GME learner with experience in solo or small, rural, general family medicine, Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice. Megunticook Family Medicine has been an independent DPC practice since 2015.
  • Rotation Director: Brian Pierce, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 and above
Click here to contact us and apply
Megunticook Family Medicine

HealthReach Community Health Centers – Geriatrics

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the GME learner with clinical experience in care of older adults in a primary care setting, with a particular focus on the diagnosis and management of cognitive impairment. Rotation will include Clinical experience working with patients and families affected by common geriatric syndromes (polypharmacy, advanced comorbid illness, falls/frailty, cognitive impairment, etc), as well as experience in promoting wellness in older adults. Residents will perform focused consultation for cognitive impairment/evaluation of dementia.
  • Rotation Director: Amy Madden, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 and above
  • Job Openings: Family Medicine Physician (7)
Click here to contact us and apply
HealthReach Belgrade

HealthReach Community Health Centers – SUD

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the GME learner with clinical experience in management of substance use disorders in rural settings using a team-based approach. This rotation will include Clinical experience working with patients receiving SUD treatment at multiple rural health center sites, 1:1 education with addiction medicine specialists embedded in rural health centers, and exposure to team-based model of care working with other professionals at the sites, including Behavioral Health Consultants and Connectors.
  • Rotation Director: Amy Madden, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 and above
  • Job Openings: Family Medicine Physician (7)
Click here to contact us and apply
HealthReach Belgrade

Western Maine Health – OB/GYN

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the GME learner with clinical experience in a rural, full scope, OBGYN practice. This rotation will provide multiple surgical opportunities each week in addition to a resident-based outpatient schedule which would include: contraception management, gynecological consultation and obstetrical care.
  • Rotation Director: Jeannette Andrews, DO
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY 3 or 4 OBGYN residents or Family Medicine residents with a passion for women’s health and who have performed >30 obstetrical deliveries
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Stephens Memorial Hospital

Franklin Health Internal Medicine

  • Elective Educational Objective: Franklin Health Internal Medicine is a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic providing comprehensive primary care to a large rural catchment of patients. During this unique rotation, trainees will be exposed to a wide breadth of outpatient internal medicine in the rural western mountains of Maine.
  • Rotation Director: Stephen Goss, DO
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 or above, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Franklin Health filer

Franklin Health Behavioral Services - Psychiatry

  • Elective Educational Objective: To provide the trainee with a full spectrum outpatient rural psychiatry experience. 
  • Rotation Director: Kristen Mazoki, DO
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 or above in Psychiatry, Family Medicine, or Internal Medicine
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Franklin Health filer

Franklin Memorial Hospital – Emergency Department

  • Elective Educational Objective: To gain knowledge in diagnosis and management of a broad variety of pathology in a rural emergency department setting, become comfortable with diagnosing and managing medical and traumatic emergencies in a setting where all needed resources may not be readily available, and learn how to get the patient to the appropriate resources while still providing equitable care for others awaiting treatment and or disposition.
  • Rotation Director: Jodi Conrad, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 or Above in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatric, Internal Medicine, and Surgery
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Franklin Health filer

Western Maine Health – Addiction

  • Elective Educational Objective: To Provide the GME learner with a general rural family medicine outpatient practice experience in a multi-physician and nurse practitioner primary care practice with a focus on rural addiction medicine outpatient experience.
  • Rotation Director: Lisa Miller, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 or Above
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Western Maine Health

Western Maine Health – Primary Care

  • Elective Educational Objective: To Provide the GME learner with a general rural family medicine outpatient practice experience in a multi-physician and nurse practitioner primary care practice. Western Maine Primary Care is a level three patient centered medical home (PCMH) and a designated Rural Health Center.
  • Rotation Director: Laura LaRosa, MD
  • Rotation Requirements: PGY2 or Above
  • Job Openings: MaineHealth has many rural physician opportunities. For more information on openings, please contact physician recruiter Donna Lafean at donna.lafean@mainehealth.org.
Click here to contact us and apply
Western Maine Health