Melanie Blake, MD, MBA, has been appointed to Tennessee’s Board of Medical Examiners by Governor Bill Haslam. Dr. Blake, a physician with Erlanger’s Academic Internal Medicine and associate chief medical officer for Ambulatory Care at Erlanger Health System, will serve on the board for five years.
The board, composed of nine physicians and three health care consumer members from across the state, was created in 1901 to protect the health, safety and welfare of people in Tennessee.
Each member attends bimonthly meetings in Nashville and helps ensure Tennessee physicians maintain the highest standard of professional conduct and medical care as required by the state’s laws and regulations.
“As a member of the board, we approve licenses or certificates for physicians who have graduated from approved medical schools and successfully completed adequate training after graduation,” said Dr. Blake. “Licenses are also awarded to physician assistants, athletic trainers and x-ray operators in physician offices. Currently, there are nearly 22,000 licensed medical specialists in Tennessee.”
After graduating from the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Dr. Blake completed her residency at UAB Hospital and remained on faculty there before moving to Chattanooga. As an internal medicine physician and associate chief medical officer, Dr. Blake is involved in projects related to the coordination of patient care, quality and physician leadership.
“I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to serve on the governor’s Board of Medical Examiners and to work with representatives and physicians throughout Tennessee to provide safe and effective care for our patients,” said Dr. Blake.