Dr. Hannah Melhorn Joins the Faculty

Although newly appointed as a faculty member, Dr. Hannah Melhorn has been an integral part of the Cardiology service at Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals (FHSA) at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University for the last three years. From rotating intern to cardiology resident to now assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, Melhorn is the fifth cardiologist on the team servicing a growing clientele at FHSA.

“A big reason why I chose to stay was the team. I owe them everything for where I am today,” Melhorn says. “Our team works well in a busy environment because of how supportive we are of each other. It’s special to see a team that really invests in each other’s work, education, and well-being, both on the clinic floor and outside of clinics.”

Melhorn was inspired to go into medicine at an early age by her physician parents. While attending high school in her home state of Kansas, her career interest shifted toward veterinary medicine after shadowing a veterinarian and volunteering at a local humane society.

Cardiology became a central interest during her second year of lectures while earning her D.V.M. at the University of California, Davis. She participated in summer cardiology clinics.

“I liked cardiology because it allowed me to use aspects of all the other specialties—imaging, medical management, surgery, and client-based communications,” Melhorn says.

While she had the opportunity to dive into clinics early on in her studies, the COVID pandemic limited in-person exposure. Seeking out internship opportunities, she targeted programs that would be especially busy to build up her case base. She matched with a rotating internship at FHSA.

“I saw a large variety of cases here, which provided me a lot of depth and breadth to my early education,” she says. “I also wanted some degree of mentorship. Tufts has a very family feel—we look after our own.”

Rotating through FHSA’s Cardiology service convinced her that a residency with this team was a good fit for her, both professionally and personally.

“I built a good support base here,” says Melhorn. “I liked the clientele we see and I liked the diversity of the caseload at Tufts.”

During her residency with the Cardiology team, in addition to seeing patients and training interns and fourth-year students, Melhorn conducted a research project assessing quality of life in dogs that underwent transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER), a new procedure recently introduced at FHSA to treat mitral valve disease, one of the most common cardiac conditions in dogs.

“It was a very unique research project. Not a lot of schools are doing TEER,” she says. “Being able to see the positive impact of the procedure on the dogs and owners was really rewarding. Any new procedure will have successes and failures. It was exciting to see owners and pets so happy after the procedure.”

During her residency, Melhorn also developed an interest in exotic and zoo animals while treating patients referred from FHSA’s Zoological Companion Animal Medicine (ZCAM) service. Many ZCAM species lack cardiac baseline data. She plans to conduct clinical research to determine echocardiogram and cardiac rhythm baselines for species lacking that data.

In her new role on the team, Melhorn primarily works on the clinic floor, treating patients and training students, residents, and interns. She will also deliver cardiology lectures as part of the didactic curriculum.

“I like helping students and interns struggling with material to grasp concepts and apply those clinically,” she says. “It’s fun to be able to find new ways to teach residents, help them make those connections between their reading and clinical work, and get them engaged.”

On her appointment to the faculty, Melhorn says, “I developed strong relationships with patients and owners and had ongoing interests I wanted to foster here. I gained a lot from the residency program and was well prepared, but I still have learning left to do. I wanted to join a team with ongoing mentorship—Tufts [Cummings School] has a large faculty team, and that is unique.”