Howard Brown Health Names Melba Ansah as Chief Operating Officer (Chicago, IL) – Howard Brown Health has appointed healthcare operations executive Melba Ansah, MBA, BS, as its new Chief Operating Officer, bringing three decades of healthcare experience to the organization as it works to expand access and strengthen patient-centered care.
Ansah officially assumed the role Aug. 10. She joins Howard Brown Health, one of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations serving LGBTQ+ patients and others seeking affirming care, with experience spanning academic medicine, private practice and healthcare consulting.
Her background includes expanding patient access, improving clinical operations and developing workforce structures designed to strengthen healthcare delivery.
“I am honored to join Howard Brown Health to help advance its mission of providing high-quality, affirming care to LGBTQ+ patients and others in need of compassionate care,” Ansah said. “I look forward to partnering with teams across the organization to strengthen operations, expand access, and ensure our systems and processes truly reflect the needs and experiences of the communities we serve.”
Before joining Howard Brown, Ansah served as Executive Director of Ambulatory Operations and Strategic Initiatives at UChicago Medicine. In that position, she oversaw long-range strategic planning for 30 specialty clinics that collectively averaged approximately 34,000 completed appointments each month.
Ansah also managed a $100 million operational budget and led implementation efforts intended to maintain consistent, high-quality and patient-centered services.
Her responsibilities at UChicago Medicine included coordinating major ambulatory construction projects, managing budgets and profit-and-loss operations, and working with leaders in quality and safety, care coordination, technology, customer service and process improvement.
She directly led four directors and a project manager while providing operational leadership across approximately 450 staff members.
“Melba’s experience in complex healthcare environments and her passion for improving the patient and staff experience make her an ideal fit for Howard Brown Health,” said Dr. Travis Gayles, President and CEO of Howard Brown Health. “Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue to grow our services and improve access to affirming care for LGBTQ+ people and the communities we serve.”
Ansah previously served as Director of Operations at Northwestern Medicine, where she held several leadership positions supporting ambulatory healthcare services throughout the Chicago area.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Leadership from National Louis University and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Roosevelt University.
Howard Brown Health operates seven health centers across Chicago and provides integrated medical, behavioral, dental, sexual, young adult and aging adult care. The organization is a federally qualified health center and serves more than 43,000 adults and youth annually, regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay.
Howard Brown Health Names Melba Ansah as Chief Operating Officer
