"A more complete and fulfilling way of practicing medicine."

Dr. Merlis realized she wanted to go to medical school after her first biochemistry course at Bowdoin College.  She discovered that she loved figuring out and understanding the why behind how the body worked. After majoring in biochemistry, she attended the University at Buffalo School of Medicine.  While studying the traditional medical school curriculum, she was first introduced to the concept of food as medicine while looking around a small alternative bookstore.  She had limited time to develop this interest over the next few years as she completed a residency in pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Jacobi Hospital, stayed on as chief resident, and joined the hospital’s faculty as an academic pediatric hospitalist. 

The food as medicine concept slowly began to re-emerge as she recognized the limitations of conventional medicine in her first years of practice.  This inspired her to study holistic and integrative nutrition formally through course work at Maryland University of Integrative Health.  There she was introduced to the discipline of functional medicine, later leading her to study at the Institute for Functional Medicine.  Ultimately, this journey has allowed Dr. Merlis to see all the possibilities of practicing medicine in a more complete and fulfilling way.  She is not looking back.