Pen Bay Healthcare Hires Full-Time,
In-House Physician Recruiter

For the first time, Pen Bay Healthcare has added a full-time physician recruiter to its staff. John Bragg of Owls Head began work in mid-October.

Dr. Dana Goldsmith, vice president for medical affairs at Penobscot Bay Medical Center, said the position – Director of Physician Recruitment – is a necessity for the Midcoast and will help PBMC preserve access to care from both primary care doctors and specialists.

"With the worsening physician shortages across Maine and the United States, the recruitment and retention of excellent physicians has become increasingly important in recent years," said Goldsmith. "John's connections to the community through various service organizations, his knowledge and love of the Midcoast, and his exuberant personality will surely attract physicians and their families to our area. We are pleased to add him to our team."

Bragg is well known in the Midcoast community for his work as a local Realtor and his volunteer hours with groups including Rockland Rotary, Youthlinks (now Broadreach), the Rockland Little League and the Maine Association of Realtors. He has also served on Pen Bay Healthcare committees, including the PBH Community Relations Committee, where it was his job, among other things, to solicit input from the community about how the organization is meeting their healthcare needs.

In this new position, Bragg will be an ambassador for Pen Bay Healthcare as it reaches out to find doctors to practice in the organization's service area. He will also help those doctors make the local connections they need to feel comfortable and at home in the Midcoast.

"Right now there are more than 200 openings for physicians in Maine and this trend will continue to grow," said Bragg. "PBH must be proactive and competitive in its recruitment efforts and focus on retention of our current medical staff. I see this position as an incredible opportunity to serve the community and have a positive impact."

Before this position was created, the responsibilities for physician recruitment at PBH were handled by a team of people in addition to their regular job requirements. PBH has been using outside recruitment agencies to identify candidates to fill critical vacancies within the system; Bragg said bringing these functions in-house will not only provide PBH with an advocate that works only on behalf of PBH, but, once established, should provide cost savings to this effort.

"The existing team of people within the Medical Staff Office has done a remarkable job in bringing in fine physicians and I look forward to joining that team and expanding those efforts," said Bragg.

Bragg is a native of Amherst, Mass. He has a degree from the University of Maine in Orono in Resource Economics. For the past 14 years he has worked as Realtor, most notably as owner of deRochemont Realtors in Rockland.

Bragg and his wife Susan, a music teacher at Hope Elementary School, have two children: Andrew is a junior a Colby College in Waterville and Emily is a sophomore at Rockland District High School.