Universal Health Care announced the upcoming retirement of Dr. Annmarie Zimmermann from her position of chief medical officer of Universal Primary Care of Bradford.

Her retirement will be effective Sept. 19.

Her replacement was announced as well — Dr. Nerissa Baptiste, who will tentatively start in August, which will allow for transition time with Zimmermann.

Since joining Universal Primary Care in 1998, Zimmermann has led with vision, compassion and integrity, representatives said — playing a vital role in expanding access to high-quality care in rural communities. Under her leadership, clinical services have grown, care has been strengthened and public health challenges have been navigated with grace and resilience, officials noted.

Dr. Annmarie Zimmermann

Reflecting on her career, Zimmermann said, “UPC means a lot to me, and I really consider its success to be my biggest and proudest achievement. It makes me so happy to see how it’s grown and expanded to offer more services, include more staff committed to our mission and open more sites. As one of the founding mothers, it warms my heart to see how UPC has grown up from something that felt a little bit like it was held together with rubber bands and a prayer, to a sustainable community asset.”

Patients of Zimmermann’s will receive formal letters in the mail regarding transition of care with Universal Primary Care to another one of our outstanding providers.

Dr. Nerissa Baptiste

Baptiste has been practicing in Bradford for more than 5 years. She has a profound interest in rural medicine and serving underserved populations. She came to the area from Philadelphia where she did her residency at Hahnemann Hospital/Drexel University Family Medicine Program.

She served as chief resident and played integral roles in various committees such as the Ethics Committee, Medical Records Committee and General Medical Executive Committee. During her time in Philadelphia she was also involved in numerous community outreach programs at the Salvation Army Clinic and Eliza Shirley Women’s Shelter.

Baptiste is a summa cum laude graduate of St. George’s University School of Arts and Sciences, Grenada, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in life science and was named valedictorian. She then went on to earn her medical degree at St. George’s University during which she served as a team representative for the American Medical Student Association, participating in health fairs and other social projects for the Grenadian community and beyond. She also served as a member of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations and the Humanitarian Service Organization, developed under the auspices of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. She has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles and has research experience.

She currently serves as a physician mentor at Drexel University DPMS program and volunteer faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching third- and fourth-year medical students for a rural family medicine rotation. She practices full spectrum family medicine: seeing all ages, along with women’s health and office procedures.

Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, Carissa, 4, and Carrigon, 5 months. Her interests include reading, baking, hiking and mountain biking.