Scholar Profile

Melissa Hynds

Medicine

Biography

Melissa Hynds is pursuing an MD at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is a first-generation college graduate of Johns Hopkins University where she received a BA in Medicine, Science, and the Humanities and BA in Natural Sciences.

As a Bronx native and child of Honduran immigrants, she is passionate about community engagement, health literacy and healthcare equality. She is pursuing a career in Internal Medicine/Cardiology and is dedicated to uplifting and advocating for underserved communities. She has served as Quality Improvement Chair and Associate Coordinator at the Columbia Student Medical Outreach Clinic helping provide culturally sensitive care for uninsured Spanish-speaking patients in Washington Heights. During her time as the President of the Columbia Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), she coordinated events with community-based organizations, student-run clinics and other student organizations to highlight health equity issues faced by the Latino community. As President, Melissa coordinated and held the 3-day LMSA Northeast 2023 Fall House of Delegates at Columbia: the first LMSA conference hosted at Columbia University Medical Center in the 50-year history of the organization. In 2023, she was selected by the National Hispanic Medical Association to be a National Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship recipient

During her time at Hopkins, she worked as a research assistant in the Department of Pediatric Oncology conducting translational research focused on understanding chemo- and immunotherapy resistance and relapse in pediatric leukemia patients. Throughout medical school, she has conducted clinical outcomes research in heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and cardiothoracic surgery.

High school:  Central Park East

Degrees