PATIENT ADVOCATE LOVES TO LEARN, TEACH, ADVOCATE

Melisa Wilson, D.N.P., APRN-BC, knew little about pulmonary hypertension (PH) until 2007 when she “lucked upon” a nurse practitioner position. Her physician partner, James H. Tarver III, M.D., a cardiologist with a passion for PH, sent her to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA)’s PHPN Symposium, a biennial event for allied health professionals.

“It didn’t take much to catch the buzz and keep doing this,” says Melisa, now a member of the PHA Board of Trustees.

Since then, Melisa has become a pillar of PHA’s patient and professional communities. As clinical director of the pulmonary hypertension program at AdventHealth Orlando, a PHAaccredited PH Care Center, she is a committed advocate for PHA and continually shares opportunities to involve peers and patients.

With Dr. Tarver, Melisa founded PHA’s

Orlando support group in 2008. Rather than lead the meeting herself, she wanted to empower and support patients and caregivers. She handled burdensome logistical tasks, connected patients to travel to meetings together and worked with industry partners. Today, she serves as a medical liaison and provides information about PH and quality of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson worked with PHA to facilitate the group’s transition to virtual meetings and provided COVID-19 education. She and her team answered questions about the virus, prevention and safety, and the importance of getting vaccinated.

In addition to supporting patients, Wilson is a longtime PHA volunteer. She has chaired the PHPN Executive, Symposium and Practice committees and is a member of the PHCC Oversight Committee and PHA’s Scientific Leadership Council. She has presented at numerous PHA events for health care professionals and patients.

“I love to learn, I love to teach, I love to mentor,” she says.

Early on, Melisa worked to include all allied health professions in PHPN, not just registered nurses, and made it her mission to make Symposium welcoming and inviting. While chair of the PHPN Symposium Committee, she doubled the number of accredited sessions, implemented a speaker proposal system and established blind review of abstract submissions.

“The more people who know about Symposium, the better we can treat people and affect patient outcomes,” she says. “Everyone has a place at the table and a place in taking care of the patient.”