Ross Isacke, DO Submitted photo

FARMINGTON — Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN), a member of MaineHealth, is pleased to announce that Ross Isacke, DO, will join the organization as chief medical officer (CMO), beginning September 7. Former interim CMO Ryan Knapp, MD, and current interim David Claud, MD, continue to serve as advisors to the organization to ensure a smooth transition.

As CMO, Dr. Isacke will be the leader for the FCHN physicians and advanced practice providers. Additionally, he will oversee clinical operations that include the quality of care and patient safety, clinical care coordination, development of clinical information systems, and physician engagement in strategic initiatives. He will sit on the senior leadership team, play a vital role in clinical leadership and further develop Franklin’s relationship with the new MaineHealth Medical Group (MHMG), the system’s physician organization.

“We are excited to have Ross join our leadership team. His strong medical staff engagement skills, innovative thinking and his ability to really care for the physicians and advanced practice providers makes him an excellent fit for this community,” said Trampas Hutches, president of FCHN. “He adeptly navigated a team at the busiest hospital in Maine — Maine Medical Center in Portland — during the pandemic. We know he’s got what it takes to make great strides in our organization.”

Over the last several years, Dr. Isacke has worked as a hospitalist at Maine Medical Center and Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, Maine, while serving in several leadership capacities. He currently serves as the medical staff president-elect, medical director of the surgical care unit/medical-surgical unit, chief of inpatient medicine, as well as the inpatient medicine clerkship director for Tufts University medical students at Stephens. He is also the quality lead and assistant associate medical director at Maine Medical Partners Hospital Medicine. His experiences in these roles, both as a leader and practicing physician, will lend themselves to the work at Franklin.

Dr. Isacke has spent the majority of his medical career in Maine and understands the unique challenges faced in its rural communities. “It gives me great pride to be able to give back and help a broad group of the most vulnerable people here in the state where I grew up,” Said Dr. Isacke. “My sincere hope is to affect change through partnerships big and small.”

Born in Gorham and raised in Yarmouth, Dr. Isacke worked at his local fire department in his youth and in EMS and as a nurse’s aide during his Bates College and medical school years. He received his medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine at Maine Medical Center. He currently lives in Yarmouth with his wife, a MaineHealth sports medicine and family physician, and their two young sons. He enjoys tending to the family’s robust garden, raising chickens, and hiking.

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