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MERITUS STORIES

Dad has new daughter help him pop the question to Mom

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — It’s not every day that you celebrate a birth and a proposal. But for Sierra Baker, that was the case on March 7. The 24-year-old Hagerstown resident gave birth to her daughter, River May, at 7:17 p.m. at Meritus Medical Center. When baby was cleaned up, swaddled and the stocking cap put on her head, Sierra saw “Will you marry me?” written on the cap. She said yes. Now-fiancé Austin Kershner, 25, said he’d been planning to propose for about six months. “I felt it was time,” he said as the family sat smiling in the Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum unit at Meritus. Sierra said she wasn’t expecting Austin to pop the question. They’ve been together for two years. “I had no idea,” she said. They met after Austin got into a conversation with Sierra’s mother at her mother’s job. Despite her mom’s efforts at playing matchmaker, it still took a few days for Sierra to message Austin. But then the two of them clicked. “She came over, and we’ve been hanging out ever since,” Austin said. While smiling over a sleeping River, Sierra admitted she’d not given a whole lot of thought to plans for their impending nuptials. “I know that I want it to be on a mountain — with a river,” she said. In 2023, Meritus Medical Center helped bring 1,801 new babies into the world, including 21 sets of twins. We’re not sure how many proposals we facilitated. To learn more about family birthing services at Meritus, visit www.meritushealth.com/services/family-birthing-services-at-meritus-medical-center.

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Meritus Today

Meritus Family Medicine Residency matches with new doctors, one local

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — For one James Buchanan High graduate, matching with the Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program is a chance to practice medicine where she grew up. Ashley Moats, who played volleyball for the Rockets before graduating in 2014, said she and her fiancé are looking forward to moving back to the tristate area after she graduates from Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine in North Carolina this spring. She worked at Meritus Medical Center briefly as part of her training, and knew it was right for her. “I could see myself working there as a resident in training for the next three years, and maybe longer,” she said March 15, known as Match Day for residency programs across the country. Each year, on the heels of graduation, medical students nationwide eagerly await announcement for where they “matched,” meaning where they will spend their next several years in residency. Medical residency programs serve as structured apprenticeships leading to board certification in a particular specialty. A resident is a physician who is enrolled in this apprenticeship or residency and is overseen by board-certified faculty physicians. The highly selective process results in six medical school graduates being matched with the family medicine program at Meritus. “We are honored to be able to help shape the next generation of compassionate family physicians,” said Dr. Brad Miller, Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program. “Our highly skilled faculty physicians and colleagues will oversee the next three years of apprenticeship for these six new graduates. Our faculty work closely with the resident physicians which means that our patients have a unique opportunity to participate in this journey.” In addition to Ashley, the Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program Class of 2027 includes graduates from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina: •       Meghana Annadata, American University of Antigua College of Medicine •       Lawrence Barnoski, Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine •       Ashika Chaluvadi, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine •       Nancy Tran, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine •       Thuy Vuong, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine We invite you to find out more information on the services that Meritus Family Medicine offers for you and your family. Learn more at https://www.meritushealth.com/locations/meritus-family-medicine-robinwood.


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Meritus president and CEO appointed chair of USMH Board of Advisors

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The president and CEO of Meritus Health and the proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine was recently named the chair of the University System of Maryland – Hagerstown (USMH) advisory board. Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., is the incoming chair of the Board of Advisors, which provides insight for the school’s student programs, scholarship funds and local community coordination. “I am deeply honored to take on the role of chair of the USMH Board of Advisors and support such a wonderful organization with all our committed and expert Board of Advisors,” Joshi said. Jacob Ashby, executive director of USMH and secretary of the advisory board, said Joshi is a perfect fit for his new role. "USMH and Meritus Health have been partners in the region for many years. I am very excited to have Dr. Joshi step into the role of Chair of our Board of Advisors,” Ashby said. “While serving as chair, I look forward to the opportunity to work with Dr. Joshi to help current students get on their career path and identify additional healthcare programs that could be offered at USMH. Given the expected growth in the industry and workforce shortages, in partnership, Meritus Health and USMH can continue to make a positive impact on the health of our community."

Colorectal cancer: What Gen X and millennials need to know

The group of people born between 1977 and 1983 are sometimes referred to as Xennials, because they straddle Generation X and millennials. They were born in an analog era and came of age in the digital era. But this group is facing a threat sooner than many of their elders did. Incidences of early onset colorectal cancer — diagnoses in patients younger than 50 — are on the rise. That’s leading medical professionals like C.P. Choudari, M.D., with Meritus Hagerstown Gastroenterology to sound the alarm. “Both young people and doctors need to shed the notion that colon cancer is an ‘old person’s disease,’” Dr. Choudari said. “They need to know that 45 is the new 50 when it comes to screenings.” Early onset colorectal cancer now accounts for approximately 10 percent of all new diagnoses of the disease, Dr. Choudari said. And since 1994, cases of early onset colorectal cancer have increased by 51 percent. In the next decade, it is estimated 25 percent of rectal cancers and 10 to 12 percent of colon cancers will be diagnosed in people younger than 50, he said. The age-adjusted incidence of early onset colorectal cancer rose from 7.9 cases per 100,000 people in 1988 to 12.9 cases per 100,000 in 2015 — a 63 percent increase, he said. “The incidence of early onset colorectal cancer is projected to slowly increase and more than double by 2030,” he said. So what’s the difference between early onset and later onset of the disease? Patients with early onset colorectal cancer typically have more advanced disease at diagnosis, which is associated with increased incidents of death. Symptoms can include fresh blood from the rectum, abdominal or pelvic pain, bloating and a change in bowel habits. Dr. Choudari stressed the need to pay attention to what your body is telling you. “Awareness of symptoms and what they may represent is very important,” he said. “Unfortunately, we see people who have had concerning symptoms that were not addressed for months or even years before seeking medical attention. “If you have a change in bowel habits, if you have any bleeding, even if you think it’s a hemorrhoid, and it doesn’t go away, just get a colonoscopy,” he said. “It can be life-saving.” Also just as important is genetics, he said. Talk to your family about cancer history. First-degree relatives (siblings, parents or children) of people who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer should start screening 10 years earlier than the age the family member was diagnosed. So if your father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 45, you should be screened at age 35. And don’t think only men get colorectal cancer. Statistics show that one in 23 men and one in 25 women will be diagnosed. There are options to get screened, though Dr. Choudari said a colonoscopy is the gold standard for colon cancer detection and polyp detection.  It is the only strategy that provides colon cancer prevention through polyp removal. “Don’t be fooled by the marketing,” he says of the other tests on the market. Some still require a colonoscopy to verify their results. Others aren’t nearly as effective, even providing false positives and negatives. A colonoscopy can detect and remove precancerous polyps before they become malignant, he said. And these days, getting the test isn’t as bad. The preparation is usually done with a mix of Miralax and Gatorade, and sedatives are given so most patients won’t even remember the procedure. The one question that’s still out there: Why is this cancer showing up earlier? The short answer: Researchers don’t know for sure and are scrambling the answer, Dr. Choudari said. “Is it diet? Obesity? A sedentary lifestyle? There’s nothing that’s been proven,” he said. “Nobody knows the cause.” To learn more about colorectal cancer or to schedule a colonoscopy, visit www.meritushealth.com/locations/meritus-hagerstown-gastroenterology or call 240-513-7072.


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