Edward Melkun, MD: SFMS May 2012 Member of the Month June 5, 2012 SFMS Member Edward Melkun, Member of the Month 0 Edward Melkun, MD is a plastic surgeon and a member of SFMS since 2011. He completed his medical training at Northwestern University Medical School, internship at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, and plastic surgery residency at Stanford University. Dr. Melkun practices the full range of plastic surgery including hand, craniofacial surgery, burn surgery, aesthetics, and breast and body reconstructive surgery and microsurgery. In his spare time, Dr. Melkun volunteers with Medical Missions for Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the medical needs of children in underserved communities. He has traveled to Tacloban City in the Philippines to treat children with burns, cleft lip, cleft palate, and other birth defects. Dr. Melkun also enjoys spending time with his wife and son, painting, photography, traveling, and keeping up on the latest in the music scene. To view Dr. Melkun's practice information, please click here. I am a SFMS member because it provides me with a voice and vote on issues affecting physicians and their patients. As a specialist in solo private practice, it is difficult to make my solitary voice count when facing pressures from hospitals, insurance companies, and state and local legislature. Membership in SFMS also exponentially increased my understanding of the health care system and the forces that drive change. I get to do all of this while enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow San Francisco doctors. I think the most valuable SFMS member benefit is its legislative advocacy. Early on I took an interest in the politics of health care. While running a busy practice, I have made time to get involved with the political action committee by joining the SFMS PAC board and meeting with Mayor Ed Lee and other state and local leaders. Never would I have imagined having such an inside voice with the power players in the city and state. My greatest achievement outside of practicing medicine is my family—my beautiful wife Joyce and adorable son Miles. I always ensure that they are my priority. Just to share a great quote by Nietzsche, “He who has a why to live, can bear almost any how.” Beyond that, traveling to the Philippines and treating those in extreme poverty and need was an unforgettable experience that really shaped my perspective on what you truly need to be happy and how little is required to practice great medicine. What are some of the biggest opportunities or challenges you see in health care within the next five year? Having worked in almost every health care setting (Academic, Foundation Model, and Private) I see differences in efficiencies and costs. There is tremendous pressure to lower health care expenditures but the challenge will be educating the public and politicians that doing it by squeezing doctors is absolutely wrong. While loopholes and abusive practices do exist, the vast majority of us are working harder than ever grasping at diminishing reimbursements and navigating complex regulatory and incentive structures. My long term goal is to increase the influence of doctors in the legislative and decision making process. Overcoming apathy and defeatism is an important first step. What do you love about practicing plastic surgery? Like painting, plastic surgery requires both technical excellence and an artistic eye. It is more about understanding the principles of surgery than memorizing step-wise an operation. The results are often dramatic and life changing. I love my patients and take the time to understand who they are and what their motivations and desires are. My favorite San Francisco restaurant is La Mar. Peruvian food, great Pisco Sours, and outdoor seating overlooking the Bay. If I wasn’t a physician, I would like to be a DJ. A little known fact is that I was a professional DJ for many years and traveled around the country to share my love of soulful, rhythmic music. I still love the feeling of turning someone on to a new sound or getting the most uptight anesthesiologist to tap his feet. Comments are closed.
