Dr. Merrick received his M.D. with Honors from the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed his General Surgery and Cardiothoracic residencies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His special interest is in surgery of the mitral valve and he is one of the leading experts in homograft mitral valve replacement and mitral valve repair.

Dr. Merrick is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Surgeons. He is an active member of the Northern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Western Thoracic Surgical Society, Naffziger Surgical Society, San Francisco Surgical Society, Pacific Coast Surgical Association, Club Mitrale, Bay Area Thoracic Surgeons and the American Heart Association. In addition, Dr. Merrick has served on the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee of the American College of Cardiology and on the program committee of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association.