Melynda Barnes, MD, MSSM ’08

Biography

Melynda Barnes, MD, MSSM ’08 is a graduate from Mount Sinai Medical School and a double-board certified surgeon, specializing in Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology. She is currently the Associate Clinical Director at Ro, a healthcare technology start-up.

WHY MOUNT SINAI

Dr. Barnes chose Mount Sinai for several reasons – the availability of incredible resources and medical education, the commitment of the medical school to the East Harlem community, and lastly, the vast variety of patient care settings available for her to gain experience in. 

HER CAREER PATH

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Barnes matched at Stanford Hospital to specialize in Otolaryngology surgery for her residency. She then moved to a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship and received an academic position at the Yale School of Medicine. She has since left the path of traditional medicine to focus on healthcare innovation at Ro as an Associate Clinical Director. 
At Ro, Dr. Barnes is focusing mainly on the day-to-day creation of medical materials. She also ensures the medical validity, accuracy, and tone of the content from other teams at Ro. She spends a large portion of her day meeting with different teams, holding video interviews with doctors, creating and reviewing medical materials, and working with their Strategy team to research and vet new conditions and treatments. 

Dr. Barnes is incredibly proud of her long and difficult journey to become a physician; a goal she has had since she was 8 years old. 
 

ADVICE TO INCOMING STUDENTS

Dr. Barnes’s advice to current ISMMS students is to really take advantage of all of the mentors and experts that students encounter on a day to day basis. Be curious. Take electives. Ask questions. Medical school is the time that students are laying the foundation for the type of physician that she or he  will become. “Identify mentors and ask them about their experience and what they did to accomplish their goals. Go on vacation. We give a lot of our youth to medicine and to the pursuit of becoming a physician. Remember to take time for yourself and to enjoy life.”