Mellanie True Hills, CSP, is an atrial fibrillation patient (17+ years afib-free), non-profit CEO, internationally-known author, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and a passionate patient advocate. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and StopAfib.org, a global atrial fibrillation patient advocacy organization. Through StopAfib.org, the most visited heart arrhythmia site worldwide, she seeks to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation, wipe out afib-related strokes, improve the quality of life of those living with afib, and enhance communication with healthcare professionals. StopAfib.org provides educational resources and convenes the annual Get in Rhythm, Stay in Rhythm ® Atrial Fibrillation Patient Conference.

Her successes include creating Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month and lobbying with other organizations to gain U.S. Senate designation of September as National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. In addition, she brings the voice of the atrial fibrillation patient community to guidelines, think tanks, health policy discussions, and awareness raising coalitions and partnerships worldwide. She was the first patient to participate in the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines as a peer reviewer for the 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Guidelines for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation and collaborated on the 2018 CHEST Guidelines on Antithrombotic Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation.

Mellanie co-chaired the global Sign Against Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation Task Force, co- created the MyAFibExperience ® patient support community with the American Heart Association, was a member of the European Heart Rhythm Association Quality Indicators and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute AF Working Groups, served on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s PCORnet Patient Council, testified before the U.S. FDA and the White House Office of Management and Budget, and convened the National AF Health Policy Roundtable.

She speaks at medical conferences worldwide and regularly lectures for the world’s most prestigious medical schools. In addition, she serves on important research steering committees such as the Apple Heart Study and others. She has followed fellow afib patient Barry Manilow on stage in front of members of Congress and appeared on the Dr. Phil Show to raise awareness of afib. Before starting StopAfib.org, Mellanie led the creation of one of the first corporate websites (JCPenney.com) and an intranet and supplier extranet, was an IT executive at Dell, and was a thought-leadership consultant at Cisco Systems, where she advised Global 500 C-suite executives on Internet strategy.

She is the author of three best-selling and multiple award-winning books, one of which was in Amazon’s Top 50 Business Books. In addition, she has authored/co-authored 35 peer-reviewed medical journal articles and serves on the Editorial Board of the Cardiovascular Digital Health Journal. She is one of the few non-profit CEOs worldwide to hold the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association and is a member of the Million Dollar Speakers Group in NSA.

What audiences you speak for?

I speak to afib patients and family members, healthcare professionals, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. My topic expertise is in (1) atrial fibrillation, (2) afib patient perspectives, and (3)
cardiovascular digital health, artificial intelligence, and innovation.

What led you to this career?

I was an afib patient who had a surgical procedure and became afib free. But I couldn’t stand on the sidelines and watch others suffer as I had, so I started StopAfib.org. We are a non-profit patient advocacy organization that helps those living with afib to get their lives back. I now speak at medical conferences worldwide, where I share the afib patient experience and perspectives to enable doctors and other clinicians to better understand and treat their patients.

I also lecture at the world’s top medical schools to help develop the next generation of patient-centered doctors and researchers. In addition, I translate complex medical research into plain language for patients through our website, masterclasses, webinars, and annual 3-day patient conference featuring the world’s leading afib expert doctors. We are the #1 arrhythmia site worldwide, with traffic from 200+ countries and conference attendees from more than 40 countries.

What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?

I would never have guessed I’d be learning this skill at this age. Over the past decade, I’ve been the sole author or co-author of 35 peer-reviewed medical journal articles. I’ve also co-led surveys with some of the world’s top researchers. However, I’ve just committed to being the first author of a significant research paper, so I’m trying to learn additional nuances of authoring peer-reviewed medical journal articles. This is a very different skill set from any other forms of authorship. Simultaneously, I’m learning to be an effective peer reviewer for some of the world’s leading medical journals.

What’s your go-to productivity trick?

There are a couple of them:

1. Delegating and outsourcing: Once I’ve figured it out, I can specify how I want it done
   and know if it is done right. My team gets some of those things, and we work with
   outside consultants and firms for larger projects.
2. Collaborating: We are small, so we get leverage by collaborating with those with
   deeper pockets or more resources.

Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?

There have truly been far too many to mention them all. In NSA, Linda Swindling, Lorri Allen, Christine Cashen, Elizabeth McCormick, Dianna Booher, Candace Fitzpatrick, Dave Leiber, Gary Rifkin, Michael Hoffman, Randy Pennington, and so many others. (My apologies to those I’ve left out.)

In afib, I’ve learned so much from the world’s leading electrophysiologist (EP), Dr. Eric Prystowsky. He is a member of my organization's board of directors, we have an award in his name (he was the first recipient, and we renamed it after him), and he speaks at our patient conference every year. He is my sounding board, role model, and mentor.

He never fails to find time for me at medical conferences, even though he is swarmed by so many EPs wishing to learn from him. As a patient, I feel incredibly fortunate that the world leader is my role model and guide.

What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?

Early on, I felt pressured to model others who were successful. Once I accepted that I could be successful with my style, that took off some of the pressure and allowed me to fully enjoy this business.

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?

We recently won Sanofi’s Inaugural Health Equity Accelerator Award for Atrial Fibrillation, which includes a contribution to fund the expansion of our health equity programs. Our 3-person organization competed against much larger organizations, which speaks to how highly the external panel of judges esteemed our work. (Details at https://www.sanofi.us/en/about-us/our-stories/2022-HEA-Awards)

What being a member of NSA-NT means to you

I’ve been a member of NSA-NT since 1997, except for a short stint in Austin. In fact, as a new member, I created and built the original chapter website. Everything I’ve learned about professional speaking has been through or because of my involvement in NSA- NT. Twenty-five years of friendships and mentoring have been invaluable.

Something personal you want us to know- can be about family, a vacation, a favorite food- anything you care to share.

I’m a grandma to a 3-year-old granddaughter. That is the best job in the world!

Contact info and Social Media info:

Email: mhills@stopafib.org

Website: https://www.stopafib.org

10th annual Afib Patient Conference (launching March 17, 2023):

https://www.getinrhythm.com

Sign up for our Video Library with 150+ hours of education: https://www.stopafib.org/afib-resources/videos/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StopAfib

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stopafib

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/940466/

and

https://www.linkedin.com/company/10619125/