Raised in Columbus, OH, Melissa Galli fell in love with the sciences early. After high school she attended Miami University, where she received her bachelor of philosophy in interdisciplinary studies. Her degree allowed her to create her own unique major in which she had the opportunity to take health care finance classes. That sparked her interest in business. She also worked in a pediatric office and discovered her desire to understand medical business better in order to learn more efficient ways of practice.
With her love of the sciences and her interest in business, she was drawn to Des Moines University where she had the opportunity to study both medicine and business. She chose podiatric medicine as her clinical degree because it would allow her to have longstanding rapport with her patients, the ability to work in reconstruction, and minimal call. She also chose a dual degree in health care administration, which allowed her to continue her love of business and extend her leadership skills. Galli said that she would recommend a dual degree to others if it would support their long-term objectives of where they want to be.
After graduation in 2009, she did her residency at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. She also completed an international external fixation fellowship in Milan, Italy, and a reconstructive foot and ankle fellowship at Coordinated Health in Bethlehem, PA. She currently specializes in sports medicine, deformity, trauma and arthritis correction of the foot and ankle at the Center for Orthopedic Research and Education institute in Phoenix. Galli is also the safety officer and runs the durable medical ancillary service for the institute’s Arizona, Michigan and Louisiana locations. Galli said her job is very rewarding as she is able to help people stay active and doing so confidently and pain-free. “Being a lower extremity surgeon, you see how injury can impact their life, and when people get back on their feet, it’s very gratifying,” she said. Galli hopes to someday help underprivileged areas both domestically and internationally.
Galli said looking back at DMU and her memories, she remembers the people most. She said it was such a rigorous environment, but the people always made it fun. She loved the work/life balance and the Wellness Center. Galli is currently serving on the Alumni Board of Directors at DMU. She said most important to her are helping with strategic planning, finding ways to engage current students to dream big, and helping alumni find ways to give back to DMU through mentorship, rotations and advice. She also said supporting the educational endowment is an important role for alumni.
Currently Galli and her husband, Bryan, live in Scottsdale with their son. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her family, hike and hang out.
