Melissa J. Garretson, MD

Melissa J. Garretson, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician living in Fort Worth, Texas. Elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees in June 2024, she is a practicing pediatric emergency physician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

As an active and longstanding member of the AMA, Dr. Garretson has previously served on the AMA Board of Trustees as the medical student trustee (1992–1993). She has also served as vice speaker of the AMA Medical Student Section, as a delegate to the AMA Resident and Fellow Section, and as the delegate on the AMA Young Physicians Section Governing Council. During her more than 26 years of policymaking and service to the AMA House of Delegates (HOD), Dr. Garretson has chaired multiple reference committees and served as a member of the Commission on Unity to transform the AMA and on the Speaker’s Advisory Group to restructure the HOD. Dr. Garretson serves on the AMA Board’s Awards and Nominations Committee and is a liaison to the AMA Council on Medical Education and the AMA Senior Physicians Section.

Dr. Garretson received her undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University (TCU), graduating with honors as a Chancellor’s Scholar. She received her medical degree in 1993 from Mayo Medical School, now the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. While completing residency training in pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, she served as chair of the Resident and Fellow Section of the North Carolina Medical Society and became the first resident member of the society’s political action committee board. In 1996, after relocating to Texas and joining a small group pediatric practice prior to transitioning to pediatric emergency medicine, Dr. Garretson became a member of the Tarrant County Medical Society and the Texas Medical Association (TMA).

In Texas she has served as county medical society president, advanced public health through private partnerships as chair of the TMA Council on Health Promotion and represented her district on the TMA political action committee board. Her involvement with various communities and efforts across Texas includes having served on the board of the regional child advocacy center and being appointed to the TCU College of Science and Engineering Board of Visitors. In addition, she also served on multiple parent-teacher organization boards while raising twins with her husband, Christopher T. Leu, the president of a rural hospital. Today, Dr. Garretson continues to serve on the TCU John V. Roach Honors College Board of Visitors and the TCU Pre-Health Advisory Committee.

2024–2025

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