Island Health MDI Hospital

Dr. Mark Kandutsch rejoins the Island Health Podcast for his 3rd appearance, but first in season 2. Dr. Kandutsch specializes in family medicine. His medical interests include orthopedic and sports medicine, and he is certified in regenerative injection therapies including platelet-rich plasma therapy and prolotherapy.

What has been great about having Dr. Kandutsch participate in the podcast is that he has worked within MDI Hospital to help shape the organizational philosophy. He mentions that, "we discuss regularly at our strategic planning meetings and at other occasions... the real deep commitment to what we call patient-centered care." 

Folks that visit MDI Hospital feel that patient-centric care at every level. Listen as Dr. Kandutsch talks about his beginnings all the way through, what he calls the "culmination" of his career and what has allowed him to keep pushing the envelope. 

Dr. Ormanda Johnson joins the Island Health podcast with hosts Molly Moon and Justin Starbird. She is board-certified, a family physician specializing in family medicine, dermatology, and public health. Her medical interests and expertise include occupational health and medical education. She previously practiced in the UK and Bahamas, which is also where she is originally from.

Dr. Johnson is originally from The Bahamas and then "ended up completing my medical journey by doing my last two degrees in England. Then I practiced for several years as a family medicine physician. 

How I got to Maine? Well, I always wanted to come back to the US because I had originally done another degree in the US in Atlanta at Emory.

I wanted to be closer to home, but still wanted that rural feel. I had a friend who was originally from Maine and said, "Why not come here?" I researched it and looked at it, loved it, came up to Mount Desert Island. Even though we're separated by several degrees of temperature, it reminded me a lot of The Bahamas. The island, the people, the water. I felt at home, and that is how I came to Maine."

Her journey to the US and Bar Harbor is one of perseverance and hard work. We are fortunate to call her one of own in this community!

Dr. Stuart Davidson joins host, Justin Starbird, and new cohost Molly Moon to discuss his recent promotion, how he got to Maine, and his philosophy on practicing medicine. 

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Davidson envisions the role as a liaison between the medical staff and the hospital administrative staff. In his words, "The role here, continues to evolve... we're trying to, between the medical staff and the administration, ensure that patients receive the highest standard of medical care that they can. We're involved in safety issues and quality issues but also medical staff affairs, and also the development of the facility, all being different service lines as they can be further developed. We're developing more complicated electronic medical records, and trying to keep that all in line is a challenge. Basically, I think that the very chief role of this is just basically being a communicator."

Kicking off this season, we also welcome Molly Moon as the new cohost to the "Island Health" podcast. She joins us with great enthusiasm and fresh ideas to make this the best year yet!

Kate Worcester, PA-C, specializes in family medicine and general surgery at Cooper Gilmore Health Center. Today, she’s joining Oka Hutchins & Justin Starbird to talk about Botox and its therapeutic applications.

Her medical interests and expertise include internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, pulmonology and general surgery. Since joining MDI Hospital in 2006, she has practiced in the emergency department, on the hospitalist service, provided critical care at Maine Medical Center, and primary care and general surgery.

Dr. Jorge Peacher recently joined MDI Hospital’s Lisa Stewart Women’s Health Center, and is one of only a handful of board-certified Urogynecologists practicing in the state of Maine.

Today, Dr. Peacher joins Oka Hutchins & Justin Starbird to walk through some of the common misconceptions about Urogynecology. Urogynecology is also know as female pelvic medicine. Dr. Peacher’s expertise includes the surgical and nonsurgical treatment of female urinary incontinence and pelvic floor disorders. He also treats chronic pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding and other gynecological disorders. If surgery is needed, he is skilled in both gynecological and urogynecological procedures including reconstructive and minimally invasive surgeries.

Listen in to the latest episode of Island Health to learn more about how symptoms, treatments, and the quality of care available in our community.

Dr. Katie Gassman is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician specializing in Family Medicine with Obstetrics, and she's also the medical director of Lisa Stewart Women's Health Center here on MDI. She joins Justin Starbird & Oka Hutchins to discuss her new role, the community, and best practices.