Melodye “Mel” Myers first joined our ministry more than 20 years ago. With her background in nonprofit program development, she joined the team at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center to lead the development and educational programming around a new bariatrics program at the hospital.
“At the time, it was a first-of-its-kind program that we were introducing,” Mel says. “Our surgeons were cutting-edge and there was great excitement around bringing a multi-disciplinary bariatric program to our community and patients.”
Within 10 years, Mel and the team at Maryview Medical Center received national accreditation for the program. They also expanded this bariatric programming to both Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital and Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, achieving accreditation at those hospitals, too.
Now, as service line director for general surgery and oncology in our Hampton Roads market, Mel focuses on strategic business development and practice operations. She works closely with our providers and team members throughout the market. And she’s grateful she made the switch to health care nearly 21 years ago.
“I still find myself asking why I didn’t get into health care sooner,” Mel shares. “Being able to work with our providers every day and helping our patients have a positive experience or connecting them to the resources they need, you can really feel the impact we have on their journey with us.”
Although, at times, she misses the frequent patient interaction, Mel now believes her goal each day is to take care of the people who take care of our patients.
“It’s all about developing strong relationships with my team, empowering them and helping with what they need to take care of our patients,” Mel shares. “I feel a tremendous sense of appreciation for my team and the work they do, so I’ve become passionate about doing what I can to help them grow.”
When reflecting on her career so far, Mel strongly believes you can learn something from every leader you work with. In fact, she’s had numerous female leaders who she considers having been instrumental in her growth, from teaching her how to remain calm in a crisis, how to be a strong communicator or how to be confident in herself, among many other things. And now, as a leader herself, she also believes in leading by example.
“It’s important that you lead with your values and show how you believe in the organization’s mission,” she explains. “It’s why, 20 years later, I still love working for this ministry. I believe in our Mission and what we do every day.”
Read more stories celebrating our team members during Women’s History Month.
Also, learn more about the health care services we offer at Mercy Health.
