2026 Outstanding Philanthropist
Dr. Melinda Smith
Dr. Melinda Smith, oldest of four children, was born and raised in Bismarck, North Dakota. She attended Creighton University in Omaha Nebraska, obtaining an undergraduate degree in Biology. She then enrolled at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, where she obtained her medical doctorate.
In 1987, she moved to Youngstown where she completed a four-year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Medical Center and then entered private practice, providing women’s health care to women of the Valley for the next 32 years. She is a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED).
Retiring nearly three years ago, Dr. Smith began to collaborate with local leaders of Mercy Health, the Mercy Health Foundation, Catholic Charities, Meridian HealthCare, the Humility of Mary Sisters, and the Youngstown Ursuline Sisters. Together they developed and opened, “The Respite of Hope,” a medical respite that offers dignified care for, and seeks to find housing for homeless individuals as they recover from surgery and illness.
Melinda has been a Humility of Mary Associate for over 20 years, chairs the Board of Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, holds a certificate in spiritual direction from John Carroll University, and is an active member of St. Catherine of Sienna parish.