Melton is chief of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at VA North Texas Health Care System in Dallas, the second-largest VA health care system in the nation, and an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Following graduation from McGovern Medical School in 2004, he completed an anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, before returning to UT Southwestern for fellowships in molecular genetic pathology and gastrointestinal pathology in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Melton recalled how thankful Jane Fitch, MD ’88, and Grant Fowler, MD ’84, were to be honored when he presented the award in 2016 while serving as the president of the McGovern Medical School Alumni Association Board of Trustees.

“What can I say? I’m grateful, appreciative, proud,” Melton said. “This is certainly a special occasion and a great reason to come back to Houston and celebrate. As I scroll through the gallery of past recipients, I’m excited that this award will hopefully make a mark of service to my alma mater and leave a legacy of inspiration for other alumni.”

Throughout his career, Melton has been named a Top Provider in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service three times (2018, 2019, and 2022) by VA North Texas Health Care System, and earned Leadership in Emerging Academic Department Program honors by the Office of Faculty Diversity and Development at UT Southwestern in 2014, and served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Molecular Pathology (2020-22). However, Melton said that the Distinguished Alumnus Award at McGovern Medical School is easily in the top five moments of his career.

“Serendipity can land you in the limelight once or maybe twice,” Melton said. “I’ve lectured in Beirut to an international audience. I worked on a study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, another great opportunity. But those are just moments in time, snapshots, or milestones. But for this award—voted on by other physicians not involved in my specialty, and based on a career’s worth of work—it’s extra special.”

Arnold is a pediatrician at the Primary Healthcare Center of Dade in Trenton, Georgia, where he specializes in general pediatrics/adolescent medicine. Arnold graduated from McGovern Medical School in 1977 before completing a residency in pediatrics at affiliated hospitals within UTHealth Houston in 1980.

“[Being named a Distinguished Alumnus] is an opportunity to model mentorship and show what one can do if you make the most of the opportunities given,” Arnold said. “One of the people that I have met on my journey through life is former President Jimmy Carter. He struggled through a difficult presidency and made the most of his time as an ex-President.”

Arnold has been a member of several medical associations and societies, including the Medical Association of Atlanta, where he served as a member of the board of directors from 1997-2003 and the Medical Association of Georgia, where he was a delegate to the House of Delegates from 1998-2003. He also served on the board of directors and as vice president of Membership and Development for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association from 2008-09.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award for Arnold adds to an impressive resume of accomplishments he has achieved, including becoming president of the medical staff of Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, associate medical director for business affairs at The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, and member of the Kaiser Permanente National Diversity Council. He received the R.J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Award from Kaiser Permanente in 2005.

“I see the award as an acknowledgment of a lot of hard work during my career,” he said.

Arnold was the Physician Champion/Editor for the Provider Handbook for Culturally Competent Care: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Population for the Kaiser Permanente National Diversity Council and has created an endowment to support diversity and inclusion in the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs at McGovern Medical School.

“I think one of the best experiences as a gay medical student was having representation in educational material presented in classes,” Arnold said. “When I saw that Emil Steinberger, MD, was having a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender panel present to my class, it made me feel much more comfortable being here.”

Table of Contents »