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Structural heart disease is one of the fastest-growing fields in cardiovascular medicine. Melissa Clark is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in nursing informatics and is the Quality Initiatives Coordinator for the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative (MSTCVS Quality Collaborative). MISHC is a collaboration between the MSTCVS Quality Collaborative and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2).

Melissa has had the desire to become a nurse since childhood. She began her nursing career 24 years ago as a Surgical ICU RN caring for cardiac and thoracic surgery patients. After 13 years at the bedside, her interest in quality improvement led her to roles in hospital STS and TVT data management and cardiovascular service line quality improvement. She joined MSTCVS Quality Collaborative in March of 2017. “My desire to continue improving care for patients with cardiovascular disease and the potential to impact care at the state, national, and international level drew me to MSTCVS,” Melissa said.

A typical day for Melissa includes supporting the MSTCVS Quality Collaborative Coordinating Center and assisting with audits and coordinator meetings. Her favorite part of the workday is interacting with data managers and Quality Initiative team members from around Michigan and supporting them in improving care for their patients.

Outside of work, Melissa is busy with two teenagers.

Melissa looks forward to seeing heart teams across Michigan continue working together to advance quality of care and outcomes for patients. “I have enjoyed seeing the great things our state heart teams have already accomplished to improve care for patients with valve disease and know that they will do so much more!”