Speakers Bio
Melba W. G. Swafford, M.D.
Dr. Melba Swafford, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine (Retired), is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. She is married to Dr. Joseph Swafford, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Cardiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center and is mother of two daughters, Erika and Jessica. She received her B.A. degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1968. After her career as a computer programmer, she returned to Howard University medical school and received her M.D. degree in 1979. Her residency training in Anesthesiology was completed at Howard University Hospital. She also completed a fellowship in Cardiovascular Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. In 1983, she joined the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine at the Fondren Brown Cardiovascular Unit of the Methodist Hospital.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities at Baylor, she has also served in many administrative positions. Dr. Swafford was Acting Chief of the Cardiovascular Unit 1997-1998. Her committee responsibilities at Baylor included membership on Admissions, Student Promotions and Academic Achievement, as well as Curriculum which she Chaired 2000-2001. She initiated or assisted in the development of several ongoing programs at Baylor College of Medicine including the Baylor Minority Faculty Association, The White Coat Ceremony for first year medical students, and Accepted Applicants Weekend for Underrepresented Minority Students.
In the Community, Dr. Swafford is a member of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church where she has served on the Emergency Care Unit team. She is also a member of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Women’s Guild and has been a mentor for Transformation, the Girls’ Rights of Passage Program. She has also served on the boards of the Sickle Cell Association of the Texas Gulf Coast and the Howard University Medical Alumni Association. In 2002, Dr. Swafford along with her husband, Dr. Joseph Swafford, received the Community Impact Award from the Sickle Cell Association of the Texas Gulf Coast. She served as the national President of the Executive Board of the Howard University Medical Alumni Association 2004-2005. Dr. Swafford also served as a member of the Texas Medical Disclosure Panel for the Texas Department of Health from 1993 – 2007 and Chairman of the Panel from 1999-2005.
Professionally, Dr. Swafford is a member of the Society for Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists under whose auspices she traveled to Ghana, West Africa in 2001 to teach cardiovascular and thoracic anesthesiology.