Congratulations to the Inaugural ODLC Health Equity Action & Leadership (HEAL) Traveling Fellows
The Orthopaedic Diversity Leadership Consortium (ODLC) is proud to announce the inaugural recipients of the ODLC Health Equity Action & Leadership (HEAL) Traveling Fellowship.
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Gary Stewart and Dr. Melissa Zimel, two exceptional surgical leaders selected for this milestone fellowship experience.
The ODLC HEAL Traveling Fellowship was designed for orthopaedic surgeons preparing to lead in the next era of modern healthcare, where clinical excellence must be aligned with value-driven strategy, team performance, patient experience, access, outcomes, and community impact.
Through this innovative fellowship, Dr. Stewart and Dr. Zimel will engage with leaders, care teams, and host institutions working at the intersection of musculoskeletal care, healthcare transformation, and operational leadership. Their journey will include immersive learning experiences at Duke and NYU, where they will observe teams translating strategy into practice, advancing care delivery, and building more responsive systems of care.
As part of the fellowship, they will also enroll in the DynamizeHealth/Cornell Transformative Value-Driven Care Leadership Certificate Program, adding a structured executive education experience focused on value-based care, healthcare economics, population health, policy, innovation, and leading change in complex systems.
This fellowship reflects what ODLC was built to do: create meaningful pathways for leaders ready to translate purpose into practice and drive measurable impact in the communities they serve.
We are honored to champion Dr. Stewart and Dr. Zimel as they begin this journey, and we look forward to sharing their reflections and leadership lessons with the ODLC community.
Dr. Erica Taylor, MD, MBA
Founder, Orthopaedic Diversity Leadership Consortium (ODLC)