Dr. Daniel Makas may be from southern New Jersey, but don’t hold that against him; once he finished his residency he moved to Easton, and has been practicing medicine on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia ever since. He recently joined forces with primary care Drs. Shanahan and Ferguson as a family medicine practitioner. Makas set aside some time in between patients to chat with the Spy and answer a few questions.
Asked whether he had always wanted to be a doctor, Makas nodded, and mentioned that he had worked in a pathology lab prior to med school. He received a BA from Rutgers, was graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, interned at the Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Stratford, NJ and finished his family practice residency at Memorial Hospital in Mt. Holly, NJ. It was around that time he happened to see an advertisement in a medical journal featuring a family with fishing poles standing on a dock and the caption, “Doctor, can you picture yourself here?” The answer was yes; and shortly thereafter Makas joined a group practice in Easton. In 2003 he relocated to Salisbury, setting up his own family practice, with his wife, (whom he met on the shore and is from Harmony, DE), managing the office. They traded Maryland’s Eastern Shore for that of Virginia’s, 45 minutes south of Chincoteague, in 2010 after deciding that seven years was long enough to manage their own business. Makas took a position in a privately owned health clinic; but, he said, he found that the area was, “too rural;” with the population of the nearest town barely 100. Thus the move to Chestertown.
Makas admits that he is, “..spoiled by the charm of Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” and that he likes all the recreational activities of the area, especially, “… fishing, hiking and biking.” He is also a confirmed dog lover, having raised samoyeds, spaniels, poodles, as well as mixed breeds. Makas remarked that he considers them all members of the family.
Makas commented that he is impressed by the, “true family physician” atmosphere at his new office, that no detail is overlooked, and that Drs. Shanahan and Ferguson are immediately on the phone to a specialist if necessary. Although he has patients who have followed him throughout his moves, Makas is currently accepting new patients. As he said, there is always a need for primary care physicians.
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