Merrill R. Nisam, MD,FACP,FCCP

Dr. Nisam is the Medical Director of Critical Care and Director of Respiratory Therapy at MarinHealth Medical Center, in addition to being a pulmonary consultant for complex lung and intensive care medical problems. He teaches physicians-in-training at UCSF, serving as Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary Dept.

He also is rewarded by helping patients in the office, with pulmonary conditions such as: asthma, pneumonias, recurrent airway infections, chronic cough, COPD, smoking cessation, chest pain & shortness of breath evaluations, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, pneumothorax, improving exercise lung performance, lung nodules/abnormalities seen on chest x-ray or CT scans, and sleep apnea – signaled usually by snoring and excessive daytime somnolence. He currently practices in Larkspur, California.

Dr. Nisam takes special interest in clear and concise communication with patients; using UCSF MyChart online access for rapid communication, and quick memos, plus offering patients a printed office note summarizing medical information, as one is leaving the office. We use a HIPPA compliant confidential electronic medical record, which instantly shares all medical data with other Marin MD’s, labs, and the two main hospitals – MGH, and NCH. He also encourages people to take a pro-active role for themselves, seeking appropriate information, actively participating in their care, and pursuing their own benefits.

He was born in the U.S., and educated at U.C. Berkeley in biological sciences, and then medicine from U.C. Davis in 1980, then subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care at California Pacific Medical Center. For a couple years, he did primary medical science-asthma research at UCSF. While a medical student, Dr. Nisam flew as a pilot for “flying doctors” on relief missions in rural Mexico, and worked briefly in Lausanne, Switzerland, so he speaks conversational French. He has traveled extensively, enjoys kiteboarding, windsurfing, wilderness skiing, mountain bike riding, and his kids-family.