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Melanie Faith Worley, DO, CAQSM
Meet Dr. Worley
Dr. Melanie Worley is a fellowship-trained sports medicine physician certified in both emergency medicine and sports medicine. She gained exposure to interventional orthopedics while working with Regenexx during her residency at Florida State University, with the goal of continuing her training to become an expert in the field. She has also worked as a non-surgical sports medicine attending, with emphasis on
diagnostic and interventional ultrasound and platelet-rich plasma procedures. Her presentations include a case report on BMAC and spondylolysis in a softball player at the Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation in 2023 and a “Orthobiologics in Sports Medicine” seminar for local physical therapy offices and community members. She has also volunteered at several IOF courses.
Drawing from her own experience as a competitive athlete and using a personalized-holistic approach, Dr. Worley loves helping patients recover from pain and injury and staying up-to-date on the latest treatment protocols. She has run the Boston Marathon 3 times and has a sub-three hour marathon PR, along with winning several local triathlons while living in Florida and competing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She also enjoys hiking, Nordic skiing, snowboarding, plant-based cooking, playing guitar, coffee, and craft-brewed beer. Originally from Ohio, she is proud to call Colorado home and is excited to learn from the leaders in the field and continue to build her orthobiologic skills at Centeno Schultz Clinic
Education
- Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUHCOM), Athens, OH
- July 2015-May 2019
- Top 10-20% in the following blocks: Primary Care, Musculoskeletal, Infection and Immunity, Gastrointestinal,Cardiovascular, Genitourinary, Psychiatry, Endocrine and Metabolism, Eyes Ears Nose and Throat
- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- August 2011-May 2015
- Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science (with Honors) and minor in chemistry
- GPA: Cumulative 3.93, Science 3.95, Summa Cum Laude
Employment Experience
- Centeno Schultz Clinic Interventional Orthobiologics Fellow September 2024-2025
- Interventional Spine/MSK fellowship with emphasis on orthobiologics
- Sports Medicine Physician, Boulder Centre for Orthopedics & Spine, Boulder, CO August 2023-August 2024
- Evaluated, diagnosed, and treated various musculoskeletal and sports medicine injuries with a non-surgical orthopedic approach and emphasis on diagnostic and interventional ultrasound and platelet rich plasma procedures
- Performed 600 plus ultrasound-guided injections
- Hosted Boulder Centre’s first “Sports Physicals Day” to provide sports physicals to local athletes
- Presented “Orthobiologics in Sports Medicine” to the Boulder community and Boulder Centre patients in October 2023, along with “in-service” presentations at Altitude and Coal Creek Physical Therapy offices
- Emergency Medicine Physician, Emergency Physicians of the Rockies July 2023-March 2024
- Part-time emergency department physician
- Sports Medicine Fellow, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV July 2022-June 2023
- Managed a high-volume, single-coverage, 12-bed Emergency Department as an attending physician at WVU Medicine Fairmont Emergency Department
- Served as a Professor for the Master of Science Athletic Training program for “General Medical Conditions in Athletes”
- Provided medical care at WVU’s sports medicine outpatient clinic and sports medicine sideline coverage for all WVU sports teams
- Frequently performed joint injections, including glenohumeral, subacromial, knee, greater trochanter, and hip, and
developed my ultrasound diagnostic and interventional skills - Provided sideline and training room coverage at Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, PA
- Provided medical coverage at the UCI Mountain Biking World Cup Championships in Snowshoe, WV in July 2022
- Performed physicals for both Waynesburg University and WVU athletes in July and August 2022
- Emergency Medicine Resident Physician, Florida State University, Sarasota, FL June 2019-June 2022
- Completed 3 elective rotations in residency with both orthopedic surgery/sports medicine and Regenexx
- Completed both an orthopedic surgery rotation and primary care sports medicine in medical school
- Provided medical coverage for several USA beach volleyball tournaments, USA Florida volleyball challenge, Riverview High School football, and USA Rowing Championships during residency
- Performed physicals at State College of Florida during residency
- Evaluated Defiance College athletes in their training room and
Professional Societies
- American College of Emergency Physicians
- American Medical Society of Sports Medicine
- International Pain and Spine Intervention Society
Publications
- Sports Medicine Research, SMH & WVU June 2021-April 2023
- Presented “Don’t hold your breath: A case of acute chest and neck pain in a Division 1 Collegiate Swimmer,” at the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) conference in Phoenix AZ, April 2023
- Presented my case presentation “Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) Injection Heals Spondylolysis Non-Union
in Symptomatic 15-Year-Old Softball Player” at the Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation conference in Scottsdale,
AZ, February 2023 - Presented my case presentation “Paget-Schroetter’s Syndrome in a Young Female Weightlifter: an Emergency Room Sports Medicine Perspective” at the American College of Sports Medicine virtually in June 2021; my abstract was published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Emergency Medicine Research, Sarasota Memorial Hospital October 2021-June 2022
- Completed and presented a sepsis related quality improvement project involving a new EMR “alert” for mean arterial pressure and how this correlates with compliance for starting 30cc/kg fluids or vasopressors
- Lifestyle Medicine Research, OUHCOM and SMH Fall 2016-2022
- Helped develop a survey and collected data on SMH patients’ dietary habits for “Standard American Diet (SAD) vs. Acute Coronary Syndrome (CAD): Diet Always Win” study with interventional cardiologist, Dr. Fred Yturralde
- “Effect of Family, Gender, and Age, on the Complete Health Improvement Program in Appalachia” –presented poster at American College of Lifestyle Medicine Conference, Naples, Florida, October 2016, under the guidance of Dr. David Drozek
- Assisted with the “Effect of Family Participation on Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers in the Complete Health Improvement Program in Appalachia” for potential submission to Advances in Preventive Medicine journal, under the guidance of Dr. David Drozek
- Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship, OUHCOM Summer 2016
- “Patient-Physician Communication and Diabetes Self-Care” –published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management, November 2016, under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth Beverly
- Conducted other research in various topics, such as concussions and issues with athlete’s reporting them to coaches and trainers, as well as nutrition education in medical schools
- Designed survey questions to investigate health knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of first year osteopathic medical students
- Honors Health and Exercise Science Research, Wake Forest University Fall 2014-Spring 2015
- “Knee Osteoarthritis and the Effects of a Mild to Moderate Long-term Exercise Intervention on Symptoms in Overweight and Obese Adults,” –defended and published honors thesis, May 2015, under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Messier
- Cardiovascular Center Research Fellow, University of Michigan Summer 2014
- “Characterization of a Rare Sarcomeric Duplication Mutation and its Role in Eliciting Disease in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients” –published abstract and presented at University of Michigan Summer Fellowship Symposium, August 2017, under the guidance of Dr. Sharlene Day
- Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, University of Toledo College of Medicine Summer 2013
- Developed, conducted, and presented results of a pilot study to assess barriers to glycemic control in patients with diabetes under the guidance of Dr. Kleerekoper
- Interacted with patients in endocrinology and oncology clinics
Leadership Activities
- Professor, West Virginia University May 2023
- Served as a Professor for the Master of Science in Athletic Training Program at WVU and taught “General Medical Conditions” in physically active patients
- Chief Resident of Wellness, Sarasota Memorial Hospital July 2021-June 2022
- Planned all wellness resident events, including yoga, kayaking, lunches, etc.
- Attended graduate medical education wellness meetings across all FSU sponsored residency programs
- Organized guest speaker events, such as Dr. Esselstyn, a cardiologist from the Cleveland Clinic, who lectured on preventing and reversing cardiovascular disease with plant-based diets
- Assisted in planning graduation and ran our social media pages on Instagram and Twitter
Assistant Cross Country Coach, Sylvania Northview High School Summer 2017-June 2019 - Assisted head coach Jerry Flowers throughout summer and fall training for Sylvania
Northview High School girl’s cross country team - Attended all weekend meets and as many practices as possible (when my rotation schedule allowed)
- Lifestyle Medicine Club President, OUHCOM Fall 2016-Spring 2017
- Organized various club events, including lectures by Dr. Salvatore Lacagnina, titled “Food is Medicine,” and Dr. Neal Barnard, titled “A New Nutritional Approach to Type 2 Diabetes,” monthly journal club meetings discussing current lifestyle medicine research, group yoga and hiking, and a group cooking event where students had the opportunity to
learn how to cook a plant-based meal together from a CHIP certified instructor and Dr. David Drozek
- Organized various club events, including lectures by Dr. Salvatore Lacagnina, titled “Food is Medicine,” and Dr. Neal Barnard, titled “A New Nutritional Approach to Type 2 Diabetes,” monthly journal club meetings discussing current lifestyle medicine research, group yoga and hiking, and a group cooking event where students had the opportunity to
- Lifestyle Medicine Club First-Year Liaison, OUHCOM Fall 2015-Spring 2016
- Selected to serve as the first-year liaison for the Lifestyle Medicine Club at OUHCOM
- Attended executive board meetings and helped plan group events
- Anatomy Teaching Assistant, Wake Forest University Spring 2015
- Selected by my anatomy professor to assist undergraduate students and dissect cadavers in preparation for their anatomy studies in the Health and Exercise Science Department at Wake Forest University
Service Activities
- Surgery and Sports Medicine Club Member, OUHCOM Fall 2015-Spring 2016
- Shadowed and assisted Dr. Black at Ohio University men’s ice hockey game
- Attended multiple club events, including spine board training, suture clinic, surgical scrub training, dodgeball fundraising, and physical medicine and rehabilitation lectures
- CHIP certification, OUHCOM Fall 2015-Spring 2016
- Attended weekly Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) presentations to earn certification at the end of the program
- WellWorks Health Coach Volunteer, Ohio University Fall 2015
- Counseled WellWorks participants on healthy lifestyle habits
- Coordinator and Volunteer, Clemmons Village Nursing Home, Winston-Salem Spring 2012-Spring 2015
- Organized team of volunteers and participated in weekly visits to assist nursing home residents
- Wake Saturdays Volunteer, Wake Forest University Fall 2011-May 2015
- Helped provide meals to the homeless in downtown Winston-Salem on Saturday mornings
Wake TV Anchor, Wake Forest University Spring 2012-Spring 2013 - Selected to be the television anchor for “College Player of the Week”
- Created and presented my own “Health at Wake TV” news segment
- Helped provide meals to the homeless in downtown Winston-Salem on Saturday mornings
Awards / Honors
- Parkview Trust Endowment Scholarship Recipient for Mercy St. Vincent’s Medical Students, Summer 2017
- Phi Beta Kappa at Wake Forest University, inducted April 2014
- Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Society at Wake Forest University, inducted Spring 2013
- Wake Forest University Dean’s List all semesters, Fall 2011 to May 2015
- Wake TV Most Dedicated Award, Spring 2013
- Wake Forest University Pro Humanitate Volunteer Honor Roll, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012
Interests
Distance running (including Boston Marathon 3 times during medical school and a 2:56 marathon PR), triathlons (competed in the Ironman 70.3 world championship race in October 2022), snowboarding, sports, playing guitar, plant-based cooking, and coffee
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