Fellows
FEL3
FEL2
FEL1
Jacob (Jake) Ortiz
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Undergraduate: Seattle University
Medical School: UCLA
Interests / Hobbies: Running, Tennis, Boxing, Snowboarding
Favorite place in Maine: Black Cove Running Trail, Deering Park, Oxbow Brewing
Medical interests: Critical Care Cardiology, Structural Imaging
Favorite weekend destination: Beach
Favorite Maine activity: Running Black Cove
What did you do before medical school: EMT
Personal goals: ICU Director
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Security Guard
Why Maine Medical Center: Top Notch CICU with multidisciplinary collaboration
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Snow Plowman
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Taco Escobar
“Smooth waters don’t make skillful sailors”
Johnathan Nichols
Undergrad: University of Massachusetts- Amherst
Medical School: University of New England COM
Medical interests: Arrhythmias, Sports Cardiology
Why Maine Medical Center: For the great people and culture of collaboration and learning. And for Portland
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Pai Men Miyake
Aaron Shaikh
Undergrad: New School University Eugene Lang College
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Philip LaCombe
Undergraduate: Syracuse University
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Medical interests: Cardiology
Why Maine Medical Center: It’s a high volume cardiac center with a reputation for excellent care. It’s an added bonus that the area is nice to live.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… soccer player
Andrew Geissler
Hometown: Underhill, Vermont
Undergraduate: University of Vermont
Medical School: University of New England
Interests / Hobbies: Skiing, Golfing and Ice Hockey
Medical interests: Coronary Artery Disease, Prevention, Non-Invasive Imaging, Cardiometabolic Diseases
Why Maine Medical Center: Fantastic teaching hospital that provides high-quality care to the people of Northern New England. Also, you can’t beat living and working in Portland.
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Scales
Persey Bediako
Undergraduate: University of Maryland
Medical School: University of Maryland
IM Residency: University of Virginia
Medical interests: Undecided
Why Maine Medical Center: Camaraderie among fellows; Emphasis on work-life balance and quality training. Living in Portland is certainly an added bonus.
Personal quote: “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
Omkar Betageri
Hometown: Bethel, CT
Undergraduate: University of Connecticut
Medical School: Larner College of Medicine at The University of Vermont
Residency: University of Florida
Medical interests: Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Critical Care, Preventive Cardiology
Why Maine Medical Center: As the tertiary care referral center for the state of Maine, MMC sees high procedural volume and complex cardiovascular cases. Combined with the collegiality of its faculty and fellows, MMC represents a great location for cardiovascular fellowship training.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Sports radio talk show host
Pasquale Marotta
Hometown: Norwalk, CT
Undergrad: Boston College
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests/hobbies: Hiking, Running, Sailing, Soccer, New England Patriots
Favorite place in Maine: Mackworth Island State Park
Medical interests: Advanced cardiac imaging, heart failure, transplant
Favorite weekend destination: White mountains!
What did you do before medical school? Before medical school, I spent 2 years working in an autonomic nerve lab. It allowed me invaluable patient experience which confirmed my interest in adult medicine.
Personal goals: Hike all of the NH 4000 footers, try all the restaurants in Portland.
Why Maine Medical Center: After moving to Maine for medical school, I fell in love with the overall culture and people. Moreover, during school I spent time doing research at Maine Medical Center as well as a few clinical rotations. During all of these experiences, I found a supportive learning environment nurturing for resident physicians. After completing my internal medicine residency here, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay to complete my cardiovascular disease training!