Physician Assistant - Precision Health

Meritus Personal Health Institute (MPHI)

Meritus Health is launching the Meritus Personal Health Institute (MPHI) a first-of-its-kind population health and precision medicine initiative rooted in the rural communities of Western Maryland.

Backed by a $24M initial investment, MPHI will enroll approximately 10,000 residents in a longitudinal program combining whole genome sequencing, advanced laboratory testing and imaging, pharmacogenomics, metabolic profiling, personalized health coaching, and comprehensive preventive health assessments at no cost to the patient.

The aspirational goal is to increase healthy life expectancy in rural Maryland by three years, while establishing Meritus Health as a national model for rural precision health.

Position Overview

The Physician Assistant will be an integral member of the MPHI clinical team, working closely with the Medical Director, other APPs, health coaches, technicians, navigators, researchers, and physicians across Meritus Health.

The PA will provide advanced practice clinical care throughout the participant journey, including comprehensive health assessments, preventive health planning, interpretation and application of advanced diagnostic information, risk-factor identification, care coordination, and longitudinal follow-up.

This position offers an exceptional opportunity for a PA who is interested in precision medicine, preventive health, population health, clinical innovation, and the future of personalized healthcare.

The successful candidate will help translate complex genomic, laboratory, imaging, and physiologic information into practical recommendations that participants and their healthcare teams can use to improve health outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive clinical assessments for MPHI participants as part of the program's standardized intake and longitudinal care model.
• Obtain comprehensive medical histories and perform physical examinations and preventive health assessments.
• Review and interpret laboratory, genomic, pharmacogenomic, imaging, metabolic, and cardiopulmonary testing results within the PA's scope of practice.
• Identify health risks, abnormal findings, and conditions requiring additional evaluation, treatment, or referral.
• Develop individualized preventive health and wellness plans in collaboration with participants and the MPHI interdisciplinary team.
• Provide appropriate clinical management and follow-up for identified health conditions and risk factors in collaboration with the Medical Director.
• Utilize pharmacogenomic information and other precision-health data to support individualized clinical decision-making and medication management.
• Educate participants about their health findings, risk factors, testing results, and personalized recommendations.
• Help participants understand how lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, and other modifiable factors can influence long-term health.
• Participate in the development and refinement of the 2.5-hour MPHI participant intake and assessment workflow.
• Assist in developing clinical protocols, workflows, standardized procedures, and participant-care processes.
• Coordinate appropriate referrals to primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, nutrition, physical therapy, and other services.
• Communicate clinically significant findings and recommendations with participants' primary care providers and other members of their healthcare team.
• Collaborate with MPHI health coaches and navigators to support participant engagement and adherence to personalized health plans.
• Participate in longitudinal monitoring using laboratory testing, wearable technology, health assessments, and other available health data.
• Recognize changes in participant health status that require clinical intervention or escalation.
• Document assessments, findings, recommendations, care plans, and follow-up activities accurately in Epic.
• Support development and optimization of Epic workflows involving clinical decision support, pharmacogenomic alerts, referrals, and care-team communication.
• Participate in quality-improvement initiatives and outcomes tracking.
• Collaborate with Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine faculty and research personnel on approved research initiatives, publications, presentations, and grant-supported programs.
• Participate in education and outreach activities involving Meritus physicians, clinical teams, and community partners.
• Maintain current knowledge of developments in precision medicine, genomics, preventive medicine, lifestyle medicine, population health, and advanced diagnostics.
• Practice in accordance with applicable Maryland regulations, organizational policies, professional standards, and MPHI clinical protocols.

Clinical Focus

The PA will work within a comprehensive precision-health assessment model that may include:

• Whole genome or exome sequencing and polygenic risk assessment
• Pharmacogenomic testing
• Coronary artery calcium scoring
• DEXA body composition and bone-density assessment
• VO? max and cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Advanced lipid testing, including Lp(a), ApoB, NMR particle sizing, and insulin-resistance phenotyping
• Metabolic and nutritional profiling
• Microbiome analysis
• Heavy-metal testing
• Frailty assessment
• Cognitive and functional assessments
• Circadian rhythm and sleep assessment
• Wearable-device and longitudinal health-data integration
• Advanced imaging, including total-body MRI when clinically appropriate
• Preventive health and lifestyle assessment

The PA will help integrate information from these different clinical domains to create a comprehensive picture of each participant's health, risks, and opportunities for intervention.

Participant Care

The MPHI Physician Assistant will play an important role in helping participants understand and act on their health information.

The participant experience will emphasize Assess ? Interpret ? Educate ? Personalize ? Coordinate ? Follow Up.

The PA will help participants understand:

• What their testing results mean
• Which findings may represent health risks
• What preventive measures may be appropriate
• How lifestyle factors may affect their health
• When additional evaluation or specialty care may be necessary
• How genetic and pharmacogenomic information may influence clinical care
• How personalized health recommendations can be incorporated into daily life

The goal is to make complex precision-health information understandable, actionable, and meaningful to each participant.

Collaboration & Care Coordination

The PA will collaborate closely with:

• MPHI Medical Director
• Nurse Practitioners and other APPs
• Health coaches
• Patient navigators
• Clinical technicians
• Meritus primary care physicians
• Meritus specialty physicians
• Pharmacists and medication-management teams
• Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine faculty
• Research and clinical research teams
• Clinical informatics and Epic teams
• Community and population-health partners

The PA will serve as an important clinical connection between MPHI and the participant's existing healthcare team, helping ensure that significant findings are appropriately communicated and acted upon.

Research & Academic Collaboration

MPHI is designed to function as both a clinical program and a longitudinal population-health initiative. The PA will have opportunities to participate in research and academic activities.

Responsibilities may include:

• Supporting collection of high-quality clinical data for approved research studies
• Participating in research protocols and longitudinal participant follow-up
• Assisting with quality and outcomes data collection
• Collaborating with MSOM faculty and research personnel
• Contributing to abstracts, presentations, posters, and publications when appropriate
• Supporting grant-funded initiatives
• Participating in evaluation and development of innovative precision-health clinical models

Qualifications

Required:

• Master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant program
• Current NCCPA certification
• Current or eligible Maryland Physician Assistant licensure
• Current or eligible Maryland prescriptive authority
• Current BLS certification
• Demonstrated clinical experience providing comprehensive patient care
• Strong clinical assessment and communication skills
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team

Strongly Preferred:

• Experience in primary care, preventive medicine, population health, or internal medicine
• Experience with lifestyle medicine or health optimization
• Familiarity with genetics,