New faculty join UMMC academic ranks
Medical Center leadership is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.
Dr. Melanie Baker
Dr. Melanie Baker has accepted the role of instructor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine.
Baker earned her Doctor of Medicine from UMMC in 2023 after graduating summa cum laude from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and molecular biology.
During medical school, Baker demonstrated a strong commitment to leadership and service. She served as chief operating officer of Specialty Services for the Jackson Free Clinic, where she helped oversee specialty care operations and developed initiatives to expand access to care for underserved populations. She also served as president of the UMMC chapter of the American Medical Association Medical Student Section and held leadership roles within the national organization.
Baker has received numerous honors, including the Mississippi State Medical Association Carl Gustav Evers Award, the Virginia Covington Memorial Award and recognition from the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
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Dr. David Buys
The University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Population Health welcomes Dr. David R. Buys as professor and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences.
Buys joins UMMC from Mississippi State University, where he served as associate vice provost for health science partnerships and held leadership roles focused on strengthening health-related academic programs, statewide partnerships and workforce development initiatives. He previously served as interim head of campus at MMSU-Meridian and as a state health specialist with MSU Extension.
With more than two decades of experience in public health, research and higher education leadership, Buys’ work focuses on rural communities, nutrition, aging, health equity and community-engaged approaches to improving health outcomes.
Throughout his career, he has secured more than $22 million in federal funding, authored more than 65 peer-reviewed publications and delivered more than 150 presentations at professional conferences.
Buys earned his Doctor of Philosophy in medical sociology and Master of Science in public health in applied epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is certified in public health, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. He also serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the National Board of Public Health Examiners and editor of the Journal of Public Health in the Deep South.
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Dr. Thomas Skelton Jr.
Dr. Thomas Skelton Jr., a 2017 alumnus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine, is joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology of the Department of Medicine.
Board certified in cardiovascular diseases, pediatrics and internal medicine, Skelton will focus on adult congenital cardiology, general cardiology and advanced cardiac imaging.
Skelton completed the internal medicine and pediatrics residency in 2021. He then completed fellowship training in cardiovascular diseases and adult congenital heart diseases.