Our Team

Matt Searles has served as a partner with Merritt Healthcare Holdings (“MHH”) since 2001. In that time, MHH has developed, managed and advised a variety of healthcare facilities across the country. MHH is currently one of the largest privately held surgery center companies in the U.S. 

In his role as managing partner of Merritt Healthcare Advisory, Matt has acted as an advisor on over $4B in healthcare investment banking transactions, covering healthcare services, technology and devices. 

Matt also proudly serves on the board of directors of Access for Health.  Access offers essential and lasting support to those challenged by mental illness, substance abuse, poverty and homelessness. 

Matt holds an MBA from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of a varsity athletic team. He now lives with his family in Westchester County, N.Y. Matt holds dual US and EU citizenship, and he also is a registered investment banking agent with Series 79 and 63 licenses. 

Rich Searles has overseen business operations for Merritt’s affiliated surgery centers since 2008, including personal ownership in 15 ASCs in the Northeast.  He has served as a Manager, or Consultant for over three dozen surgery centers. Duties in the aforementioned ASCs include but not limited development, operations, finance, and serving as a Board Member.  Rich has served as a Board Member & Treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers since 2016. 

In his role as managing director of Merritt’s investment banking business, Rich has been an advisor in over $3B in Healthcare M&A transactions involving surgery centers, surgical hospitals and physician practices. In addition, Rich is a registered investment banking agent with Series 79 and 63 licenses, as well as being a CFA Exam Level III Candidate. 

John joined Merritt Healthcare Advisors (MHA) as a Partner in 2021, specializing in M&A and capital raising.  John works closely with key stakeholders, including physician entrepreneurs across a range of industry sub-verticals. Prior to joining MHA, he worked in investment banking and investment management at Chase Capital Partners, Morgan Stanley, and as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs.  Over the course of his close to 30-year career, John has built teams and businesses, including overseeing a global team managing over $40Bn in AUM as a portfolio manager and has helped numerous companies negotiate and structure billions of dollars worth of capital raises as well as M&A deals as an advisor. He brings extensive transactional and capital structure expertise to his clients.  

John is a former member of Jesuit Volunteer Corps board, a national volunteer program that serves poor and marginalized communities and remains an active ad hoc advisor. One of John’s great passions is long distance running. 

John holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross. He is a registered investment banking agent with Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses.   

Zak Eisenberg joined the Merritt team in 2017. He brings significant investments experience to Merritt, having led the analysis team at a biotech/life science focused venture capital firm and a renewable energy focused private equity firm. His experience includes sourcing and analyzing transactions, sourcing capital, negotiating and structuring investments, and has completed several billion in transactions. 

At Merritt, Zak has been integrally involved in the strategic development and execution of healthcare transactions across multiple subsectors including healthcare services, provider services, life sciences, and others. He holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and International Relations from Boston University. 

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Binghamton University, where he originally pursued a path toward a career in medicine. Following graduation, he gained valuable experience in practice management, overseeing operations at a local independent physician practice. 

In 2016, Chris joined Merritt Healthcare, where he focused on consulting in revenue cycle and facility management for its surgery center management division. With a particular interest in finance and investment banking, he transitioned to Merritt Healthcare Advisors, starting as an analyst and rising to Vice President in 2020. 

Additionally, he has successfully passed the CFA Level I and Level II exams and is a registered investment banking agent with FINRA, holding Series 79 and Series 63 licenses. Over the course of his career, he has consulted on healthcare transactions totaling more than $2B. 

Jay D. Pruzansky received his doctorate from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine and has been Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery. He founded and managed one of the nation’s first Single Specialty Physician Management Groups and grew that organization to include 19 offices. Dr. Pruzansky went on to get his M.B.A. from the Leavy School of Business at Santa Clara University and served as part of the Health Ventures team at KPMG Peat Marwick with a focus on Physician Group transactions. He later developed and managed 5 high-profile multi-specialty ASCs and has consulted on over $1B in healthcare transactions. He lives in California and works nationally with physicians who are considering a strategic partnership or transaction in a competitive environment. 

Dr. Rausch is a highly accomplished healthcare entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years of clinical experience as a board-certified emergency medicine physician. He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond. Dr. Rausch co-founded BetterMed Urgent Care, where he served as CEO and Chief Medical Officer, leading the company to become a regional leader in urgent care services. He later founded SecureHealth, further showcasing his innovative approach to addressing critical healthcare needs. 

Following a successful exit facilitated by the Merritt Healthcare team, Dr. Rausch joined Merritt as Managing Director – Business Development, where he applies his extensive industry knowledge and strategic insight to drive growth and innovation in healthcare advisory services. 

Josie joined the Merritt team in early 2024 as a business development & marketing manager. He has an entrepreneurial background focused on product and user growth in the digital arena. Josie has extensive experience in digital marketing and project management from his time at Barclays, Nielsen, and Weill Cornell Medicine. 

With Merritt, Josie is driving strategic initiatives in business development. Josie has an MBA from IESE and a BA in Economics from NYU. Hailing from NYC, he currently lives in northwestern Connecticut. 

Ryan Murray joined Merritt Healthcare Advisors as a Senior Assoicate in 2022. Prior to joining the firm, Ryan worked at Northwell Health in Strategic & Clinical Joint Ventures, Optum Tri-State in Corporate Development & , Summit Health & CityMD in Corporate Development, and was a Commercial Banker with JPMorgan Chase’s Middle Market Banking & Specialized Industries group. 

Ryan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Medicine & Biology from Hofstra University and holds Series 79 and 63 FINRA licenses. 

Peter Colgan joined Merritt Healthcare Advisors (MHA) as a Senior Associate in January 2024. Before joining MHA, Peter worked in the Assurance department at RSM US LLP and served in the Transaction Advisory Services department in two other Top 25 accounting firms. He most recently worked at Citrin Cooperman, where he rose to a Director and focused on healthcare towards the end of his tenure. There, he led multiple due diligence engagements and service teams. Peter has over nine years of accounting experience, which includes auditing and quality of earnings analysis. 

Peter holds a Master of Science in Accountancy from Fairfield University. He is a Certified Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis Professional and a Certified Public Accountant with a Series 79 license. 

Juan Muñoz is a professional in finance and international relations with an emphasis on capital markets, knowledge in fixed income, equities, risk analysis and derivatives. He has experience in product control and corporate finance, previously working as a risk analyst for PEI Asset Management, and a product control intern at JP Morgan Chase. Prior to joining Merritt, Juan worked as a semi senior financial analyst at Sonria Dental Clinics, the main provider of dental services in Colombia. In his time there, Juan monitored KPIs, developed strategies, forecasted budgets, and aided in setting the commercial goals of the company during the COVID-19 pandemic. He holds a Bachelor of Finance and International Relations with an emphasis on capital markets from the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogota, and a Master of Business Administration from the Universidad de la Rioja. 

In 2021, Juan embarked on his professional journey at Merritt Healthcare Advisors, where he joined as an analyst and would eventually earn the title of Investment Banking Senior Analyst in 2023. 

He recently obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter and is poised to receive his Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) charter in 2025. 

Federico is a professional Business Manager with a specialization in Finance. He joined Merritt Healthcare Advisors (MHA) as an Analyst in September 2022. He previously worked for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia as a Financial Planning and Budget Analyst, gaining extensive experience in financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, business validation, and derivatives. During his time there, he coordinated the “Intelligent Water Management” program, working under the PMI standards of project management. 

He also spent five years in Australia, where he furthered his education by studying English, as well as earning a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Project Management.  

Before joining Merritt, Federico returned to the National Federation of Coffee Growers, where he honed his skills in monitoring KPIs, developing strategies, modeling financial statements, and evaluating various research projects. 

Jose is a finance professional with extensive experience in investment analysis and financial modeling. As a Senior Private Equity Analyst at Evalueserve, Jose leads the identification and analysis of potential acquisition targets across various industries, conducting thorough due diligence and building sophisticated financial models to assess investment viability. 

Prior to joining Evalueserve, Jose served as a Financial Analyst at Pentaco S.A.S., where he gained valuable experience in fund structuring, risk management, companies’ valuation and financial planning. 

Jose holds a master’s in finance from the Universidad de los Andes and a bachelor’s degree in international business.