Penobscot Bay Medical Center is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Douglas Macmichael to the hospital's active medical staff.

Macmichael is general orthopedic surgeon who will be specializing the spine, foot and ankle but will see all orthopedic patients. He is joining Pen Bay Orthopedics in Rockport.

Macmichael, 59, is a native of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada and has worked in Canada and the United Arab Emirates. He has been on the medical staff for the St. John Flames, a minor league hockey team.

A lifelong athlete, Macmichael says his decision to focus on orthopedics came naturally. Growing up in Halifax, his first sport was swimming, and he lists swimming, bicycle road racing and boating as his favorites.

He is a graduate of Dalhousie University in Halifax and the Dalhousie Medical School there. His training and residencies were completed in Canada. After maintaining private practices in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and St. John, New Brunswick, he moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he worked as an orthopedic surgeon at the Shaihk Khalifa Medical Center in Abu Dabi.

Today, Macmichael and his wife Georgie live in the Samoset Village in Rockport, where they have owned a home for more than 20 years.

"When we came here 20 years ago, it was to take advantage of the area in the summer season," said Macmichael. "The people here are friendly, and we've always felt welcome. I can say the same about Penobscot Bay Medical Center."

Three or so years ago, Macmichael applied for a job at PBMC. He had to wait three years for a green card, and once it came, the move from the Abu Dabi was easy, if you consider shipping all your belongings in containers from the Middle East to Maine easy.

The Macmichaels, who have two adult children, are looking forward to taking advantage of the area's recreational offerings year-round. And Dr. Macmichael, who enjoys singing, is looking forward to joining one of the Midcoast's choral groups. He's had the honor of singing O Canada at the Canadian embassy in the UAE for several official engagements.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center is the leading regional referral hospital in Midcoast Maine and a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which includes Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, Quarry Hill Retirement Community, the Knox Center for Long Term Care and the Mid-Coast Mental Health Center. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,800 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty care from birth throughout their lives. For more information, please visit www.pbmc.org.