ODLC Names Dr. Gary Stewart and Dr. Melissa Zimel as Inaugural HEAL Traveling Fellows

New national fellowship combines immersive learning at Duke and NYU with executive education in value-driven healthcare leadership

DURHAM, NC  |  MAY 28, 2026

ODLC today announced Dr. Gary Stewart and Dr. Melissa Zimel as the inaugural recipients of the ODLC Health Equity Action & Leadership Traveling Fellowship, known as the HEAL Traveling Fellowship.

Created for orthopaedic surgeons preparing to lead in an increasingly complex healthcare environment, the fellowship expands leadership development beyond the traditional boundaries of clinical training. Its curriculum connects excellence in musculoskeletal care with value-driven strategy, access, patient experience, team performance, operational leadership, outcomes, and community impact.

“The future of orthopaedic leadership will require more than clinical excellence alone,” said Erica Taylor, MD, MBA, founder and CEO of ODLC. “Our leaders must understand how care is designed, how decisions move through complex organizations, and how strategy becomes meaningful improvement for patients and teams. The HEAL Traveling Fellowship was created to provide that broader leadership perspective.”

As HEAL Traveling Fellows, Dr. Stewart and Dr. Zimel will participate in immersive learning experiences at Duke University and New York University. During their visits, they will engage with clinical, academic, and administrative leaders; observe teams translating strategy into practice; and examine how healthcare organizations are redesigning access, care delivery, patient experience, and organizational performance.

Dr. Stewart and Dr. Zimel will also complete the Transformative Value-Driven Care Leadership Certificate Program, offered through Dynamize Health, a healthcare strategy and advisory firm helping leaders translate vision into meaningful organizational impact, in collaboration with eCornell. The executive education experience addresses value-based care, healthcare economics, population health, policy, innovation, and the leadership skills required to advance change within complex systems.

“Dr. Stewart and Dr. Zimel represent the kind of accomplished, forward-looking surgical leaders this fellowship was designed to support,” Dr. Taylor said. “They bring deep clinical credibility, a commitment to service, and a genuine interest in building systems that work better for patients, clinicians, and communities. We are honored to invest in their continued growth and excited about what they will bring back to the broader orthopaedic community.”

The HEAL Traveling Fellowship reflects ODLC’s commitment to creating practical pathways through which healthcare professionals can strengthen their leadership capabilities, broaden their organizational influence, and translate purpose into measurable action. Lessons and reflections from the inaugural fellowship will be shared with the ODLC community following the fellows’ visits.