The Monthly Review spotlights a different URACer each month in a Q&A. This month it's Donna Merrick, URAC's Product Enhancement Principal.

TMR: What were you doing before you came to URAC?

Donna: I worked for NCQA for a little over two years as Director of their Physician Recognition Programs. Prior to that I worked for URAC as a Reviewer for 8.5 years.  

TMR: Describe yourself in three words.

Donna: Methodical, judgmental and persistent.

TMR: How do you like to spend your leisure time?

Donna: I like to travel to visit family or historical sites.

TMR: What’s your favorite restaurant?  

Donna: Courtney’s Restaurant in St. Mary’s County Maryland. Seafood is harvested that day or the day before from the Chesapeake Bay. It’s a dive but has a great view of the bay.

TMR: What do you like to watch?

Donna: I like to watch a movie series or franchises like “The Godfather”, “James Bond”, “Indiana Jones” or “Jurassic Park”.

TMR: What kind of books do you like to read? 

Donna: Mystery and philosophy. The last book I read was “Buddhism Without Beliefs” by Stephen Batchelor.

TMR: What's your favorite vacation spot?

Donna: I enjoy the remote Maine woods/lake areas. I went to Duck Cabin on Long Pond last May. Remote yet accessible, with beautiful, natural surroundings.

TMR: Are you a cat person or a dog person?

Donna: Dog person.

TMR: Tell us something about yourself that most people at URAC would not know about you.

Donna: I enjoy classical music and played the violin in junior high school.