About the Director of the Whole Person Health Initiative
Melanie Ferris, Director of the Whole Person Health Initiative, is a leader in advancing whole-person care at the University of St. Thomas – Morrison Family College of Health. As Director of Health Equity and Strategic Partnerships and Director of the George Family Whole Person Health Initiative, she builds academic–community partnerships, leads new initiatives, and supports work across the college to encourage interprofessional and culturally responsive approaches to care delivery.
With more than a decade of research leadership at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Melanie has led federally and state-funded studies on community health initiatives and children’s mental health, authored more than 100 reports, and worked alongside government entities, health systems, and community leaders to identify strategies to reduce health inequities. Her work values the experiences of individuals while examining how communities and systems can create conditions that support health and mental well-being.
Melanie has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota and begins her term as President of the Minnesota Public Health Association in June 2026.
Melanie FerrisHealth inequities will persist until we choose to approach health care differently. This starts seeing people fully, truly adopting a person-centered approach, and recognizing that health is more than the absence of disease – it is being physically, mentally, socially and spiritually well.