Dr. Ivan Merkelj, Medical Director for MorseLife Health System’s Palm Beach PACE, was named Healthcare Professional of the Year at the “Shining Star” Ceremony of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County, held November 17th in West Palm Beach.
Dr. Merkelj joined five other noteworthy honorees representing government, media, education, law enforcement and business in receiving the Shiny Star Awards from the Chamber.  Also defined as a “Celebration of Community Heroes,” Dr. Merkelj was noted for his commitment and passion for caring for enrollees in Palm Beach PACE, a managed care program that provides comprehensive health care and supportive services to people at risk of nursing home placement.
Dr. Merkelj joined MorseLife Health System in 2013 as Medical Director for Palm Beach PACE.  In his multi-faceted role, Dr. Merkelj is responsible for the overall leadership and supervision of the medical services provided to Palm Beach PACE enrollees in its West Palm Beach and Delray Beach sites.
Prior to joining MorseLife Health System, Dr. Merkelj served for 8 years as Medical Director of the Florida PACE Program in Miami, Florida.  Dr. Merkelj is a Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine, America Board of Geriatric Medicine and a member of the American Geriatrics Society and American College of Physicians.
He received his M.D. from the National University Federico Villarreal in Lima, Peru and completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Saint Agnes Hospital of Baltimore, and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.
For more information about Dr. Merkelj and his team at Palm Beach PACE, please go to www.morselife.org/pace/ or call (561) 868-2999.