Staff Spotlight: Meet Melina Mambalam, MHA, Division Administrator

UW Dermatology is fortunate to have a small, but passionate team of administrative staff members whose talent and dedication to our faculty, trainees and research teams help make our division such a great place to learn, work and teach. Check-out our Staff Spotlights to learn how our staff contributes to our academic, research, patient care and service missions.

Meet Melina Mambalam, MHA, (she/her/hers), Division Administrator for the Division of Dermatology! 

What is your work and educational background?

I received my BS in Biological Science with a minor in Psychology from the University of Maryland in Baltimore. I also earned a MS in Health Systems Administration from Georgetown University, in addition to completing an administrative residency at INOVA Alexandria hospital in Alexandria, Virginia focusing on Quality Leadership and Improvement.

From 2005 to 2008, after my MS was completed, I joined the Physician and Ambulatory Network Services at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in Great Neck, New York (now Northwell Health) where I worked with the Quality Improvement team. From 2010 to 2011 I worked at UWP as a Practice Advisor for the Department of Medicine. Then from 2012 to 2016 I joined the Department of Medicine as the Administrator for the HMC Service Chief Office before joining the Division of Dermatology as the Division Administrator  in 2016.

What drew you to your current role at UW Dermatology?

The previous administrator talked me into applying for the position. From my experience working in the faculty funding domain I knew that dermatology was mainly outpatient focused, and would offer a change from my inpatient focused position in the Chief of Service’s office at HMC.

Tell us about your position; what does a typical day look like? 

There is no “typical” day for my job. I guess the best way to describe a typical day is “firefighting.” 

I have been enjoying digging into and understanding the hospital finances while preparing the Division of Dermatology's business plan.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love cooking and trying new recipes from other countries, bike riding and traveling. 

What are you looking forward to this summer? 

Spending time at the beach with my family, and my sister and her family.