Senior Leadership
James Mullen, MD, MBA, FACEP
Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Board
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine
Medical School: University of Connecticut
Residency: University of Arizona
Master of Business Administration: University of Massachusetts - Isenberg School of Management
Undergraduate: Brown University
Awards/Recognitions:
- Prior President of Medical Staff for Mid Coast Hospital
- Prior Chief of Emergency Services for Mid Coast Hospital
- Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Mullen has deep family roots in Maine, yet, he was born and raised in the hills of Connecticut. After training at Brown University in the arts of Political Science and Economics, Jay found his way to medicine. While training to become a Wilderness EMT to join a Search and Rescue team in Colorado he fell in love with medicine and decided to make it his career. Dr. Mullen attended medical school at the University of Connecticut, to then complete his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Mullen also holds an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts.
Dr. Mullen is a past President of the Medical Staff at Mid Coast Hospital as well as the Chief of Emergency Services. He successfully combined his love of medicine and the wilderness through relief work in Peru, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Outside of medicine, Jay is blessed with a wonderful wife and two sons, who join him in skiing, kayaking, boating, biking and hiking around our great state.
Guy Nuki, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer / Chief Development Officer
Member of the Board
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine
Medical School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Residency: Ventura County Medical Center Family Medicine
Master of Business Administration: Brandeis University - Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Undergraduate: University of Connecticut
Awards/Recognitions:
- Chief Medical Officer for Calais Regional Hospital
- Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians; 2018
- Beta Gamma Sigma; 2017
- ACEP Workforce Section Chair; 2014-2016
- Faculty of the Year: Central Maine Medical Center FM Residency; 2003
- Creator of an educational program for the Himalayan Health Exchange
- Founder of MaineGeneral Emergency Medicine Fellowship
Dr. Nuki is the Chief Medical Officer of BlueWater Health. After graduating from his Family Medicine Residency in Ventura, CA he practiced both Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine for 6 years in rural Washington state. Dr. Nuki’s clinical experience has been focused on emergency medicine since 2004, also including outpatient primary care, high risk obstetrics and hospitalist medicine. During Dr. Nuki’s time as faculty at the Central Maine Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency he established an educational program for the Himalayan Health Exchange. He later led teams of medical students, residents, and physicians through remote Himalayan regions of India. He has lectured for the Global Health Education Consortium and has volunteered for Health Volunteers Oversees in Bhutan. Dr. Nuki was the founding director of the MaineGeneral Emergency Medicine Fellowship. He has served as the Chair of the Workforce Section for the American College of Emergency Physicians and works as an Emergency Physician across Maine including work as the Chief Medical Officer for Calais Regional Hospital.
Ian Swihart, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Master of Business Administration: Louisiana State University
Undergraduate: University of San Diego
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt: Villanova University
Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Certified Lean Practitioner (CLP)
Ian is the Chief Operating Officer of BlueWater Health. Ian began his career supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) in San Diego as a technical engineer and program manager. He eventually transitioned into program and project management within the healthcare industry in Central Oregon, which ultimately led to an executive leadership role within the regional health system's Medical Group. Ian has spent the past 10+ years leading medical group practices within community based and regional health care system environments, in both the acute and ambulatory settings. He's excited to be living in his wife's home state of Maine with their four children, exploring all of what northern New England has to offer.
Ranjiv Advani, MD, FACEP
Medical Director – Mid Coast Hospital Emergency Department
President, Medical Staff – Mid Coast Parkview Health
Member of the Board
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine
Medical School: University of Michigan
Residency: Maine Medical Center
Undergraduate: University of Michigan
Awards/Recognitions:
- Medical Director of Mid Coast Hospital Emergency Department
- President, Medical Staff at Mid Coast Parkview Health
Dr. Advani graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 2000 and completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Maine Medical Center in 2003. Dr. Advani has worked clinically at Mid Coast Hospital since 2009 and is a founding partner of BlueWater Emergency Partners. Dr. Advani is the Medical Director of the Mid Coast ED and leads a team of 15 physicians, 11 APPs, and 2 APP Fellows. He is currently the President of the Medical Staff at Mid Coast Hospital and will serve from 2018 to 2020. Special areas of interest include Medical Error and Cognitive Bias, Tribalism in Medicine, Provider Resilience, and Substance Use Disorder.
Douglas G. Nilson, MD
Medical Director - Springfield Hospital Emergency Department
Member of the Board
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine
Residency: Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Emergency Medicine
Medical School: Northwestern University - Feinberg School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Colby College
Dr. Doug Nilson moved up to Maine after completing a residency in Emergency Medicine at Brown University in 2009. He worked in the ER at Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford for 9 years which lead to him joining BlueWater Health. His medical interests include ultrasound, wilderness medicine, and EMS.
When not working, Dr. Nilson spends time with his four best friends – wife Rachel, and their three children Eli, Jonah and Zoe. Doug and his family love spending time outside hiking, exploring, fishing, boating, and skiing.
Michael Bell, MD
Medical Director - Nantucket Cottage Hospital Emergency Department
Member of the Board
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine
Medical School: University of New Mexico
Residency: Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine
Undergraduate: Northwestern University
Awards/Recognitions :
- Member to the American Board of Family Medicine
- Member to the American Society of Addiction Medicine
- McAfee Fellow, Daniel Hanley Center for Physician Executive Leadership
- Chief Resident 2002-2003
- Resident Teacher Award 2003
Growing up in New Mexico, Dr. Bell never expected to be living in the Northeast, and now is the Director of Emergency Medicine Services at Houlton Regional Hospital. After he completed his medical education at the University of New Mexico, Dr. Bell moved to Lewiston and attended the Central Maine Medical Center Family Practice Residency. Focusing his training in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care he later became an attending Emergency Physician in 2003. Dr. Bell joined BlueWater Health in 2012 and has served as Medical Director at four rural sites, Calais Regional Hospital, Down East Community Hospital, Houlton Regional Hospital, and is currently the Medical Director at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.
Dr. Bell has a special interest in Addiction Medicine and served as the Medical Director of a sober house in Portland for two years. He is currently the Chief Medical Officer of an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment facility in Portland. Dr. Bell is passionate about rural critical care and the importance of teamwork in limited resource environments. He is an instructor for Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) and serves on their curriculum committee.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Bell is blessed with his three sons. They all enjoy snowboarding, skiing, beach and lake activities.
Tari Advani, MD
Medical Director - Urgent Care / Walk-in-clinics
Director - PA/NP Acute Care fellowship
PA/NP Supervisor
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine
Medical School: University of Wisconsin
Residency: Maine Medical Center
Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Awards/Recognitions:
- Founding Partner of BlueWater Emergency Partners
- Medical Director of the Mid Coast Walk-In Clinic
- APP Founder/Director of APP ED and Acute Care Medicine Fellowship
Dr. Advani graduated from the University of Wisconsin medical school in 2002 followed by completion of residency training in emergency medicine at Maine Medical Center in 2005. Dr. Advani has been working clinically at Mid Coast Hospital since 2009 and is a founding partner of BlueWater Emergency Partners. Dr. Advani serves as the Medical Director of the Mid Coast Walk-in-clinic and the APP supervisor. She has also developed and directed an APP ED and Acute care medicine fellowship. Dr. Advani has special areas of interest in palliative care and in serving special needs populations with intellectual and emotional disabilities.
Thomas Dancoes, DO, FACEP
Medical Director - Houlton Regional Hospital Emergency Department
Immediate Past President Maine ACEP
Medical Specialty: Emergency Medicine
Medical School: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Michigan State University
Undergraduate: University of Southern Maine
Awards/Recognitions:
- Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians
- Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Physician
- Past President for the Maine Chapter/ National Council Member of AECP
- Fellow member of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership
Dr. Dancoes was born and raised in Maine and is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has a passion for bringing high-quality emergency medicine to rural communities across our state. Maine, Idaho, Missouri, Michigan, Maine, was the adventurous path that took Dr. Dancoes across the country and back to Maine to begin his career as a physician.
Dr. Dancoes is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine and his first career was as a music educator, leading him to teach classical guitar in Idaho. One of his students was a physician and later became an important mentor for Dr. Dancoes.
Ultimately, he attended medical school at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. Dr. Dancoes then moved to Michigan to complete his residency in emergency medicine through Michigan State University to become Chief Resident.
Since returning to Maine Dr. Dancoes has been committed to his professional organization the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), he served as a past president of the Maine Chapter, and has served as a National Council member for nearly a decade. Dr. Dancoes also is a Fellow of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership. He has also worked with other Maine physician leaders and legislators to lead positive change in health care in our state. He continues his work in rural communities and is currently serving as Vice Chief of Staff at Calais Regional Hospital. Telemedicine is his latest passion, as the use of this technology through various platforms will advance access to health care for all Maine residents. Dr. Dancoes is an avid skier and enjoys time spent skiing and biking with his family and friends.
Interested in joining the BlueWater team? Please visit our Career Opportunities page for current openings and to submit your employment inquiry.