A native of New Jersey, Dr. Merliss attended Colgate University for his undergraduate studies. He then attended the George Washington University School of Medicine, where he also completed his internship. From there, he completed his residency at Harvard Medical School and went on to serve his cardiology fellowship at Boston University Hospital. He then completed his fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology at Harvard Medical School.

Upon completing his education, Dr. Merliss practiced cardiology in the Boston area and also taught for five years at Harvard Medical School. From there, he moved to Fargo, North Dakota where he practiced for several years, and taught at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Dr. Merliss joined the BryanLGH Heart Institute in January 2002 and currently serves as the Director of Arrhythmia Services.

Dr. Merliss is a specialist in the field of cardiac electrophysiology. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine Subspecialty Boards of Cardiovascular Diseases and Cardiac Electrophysiology. He has achieved fellowship status with a number of professional societies including the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. He is also a member of the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology and Project Pacemaker International.

Dr. Merliss enjoys spending time with his family and in his free time he enjoys fly fishing, golf and sailing.