Principal Project Manager - Surgical Services
University Hospitals Health System
Melysa Ford is a master’s-prepared, certified perioperative registered nurse and a Nursing Leadership Institute Fellow with over a decade of experience in surgical services, quality improvement, and systems leadership. She currently serves as Principal Project Manager for System Surgical Services at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, where she leads value-based improvement initiatives across a regional health network. Her professional focus includes operational and clinical redesign, safety and quality optimization, and staff mentorship across diverse surgical teams. Melysa has a proven track record of translating data into action, and of aligning frontline clinical insight with enterprise-level goals to drive meaningful, sustainable change.
In addition to her healthcare leadership, Melysa is a 500-hour certified yoga teacher, integrating the principles of mindfulness, presence, and somatic awareness into her professional practice. She brings a trauma-informed lens to leadership and education, supporting clinician resilience and whole-person wellness in high-demand environments. Melysa also holds degrees in psychology and English literature, and prior to nursing, worked for over 15 years as a litigation paralegal. Her interdisciplinary background gives her a unique ability to bridge the clinical and the human, fostering spaces where both innovation and compassion thrive.