Strike, now the Director of Spinal Cord Injury at Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital just outside St. Louis, works with a wide-range of patients – from construction workers to retirees to paralympic athletes. 

“My St. Andrew’s class of 57 got along remarkably well,” Strike said. “The inclusiveness and open-mindedness that define St. Andrew’s culture naturally drew me to medicine. I’m a better doctor for that.”
 

After leaving St. Andrew’s, Strike went to Kenyon College majoring in physics with a concentration in neuroscience. She spent two years working at Cornell University’s Weill School of Medicine doing research before being accepted to New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which she received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) in 2009. 

“The D.O. approach to medicine is to treat the whole patient, not just the disease or condition,” Strike said. “Understanding the patient as a human being and being open to a wide range of treatments have a strong appeal to me. I can trace these concepts back to my years at St. Andrew’s.” 

After getting her D.O., Strike matched with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Northwestern University in Chicago, the nation’s top-ranked rehabilitation hospital. After completing her residency, she found herself drawn to Mercy where she was charged with creating an amputee and spinal cord program – both of which are nationally certified. Despite her leadership role, Strike, who is also certified in acupuncture, still sees 20-25 patients a day.

Dr. Melissa (Blum) Strike '99 is one of 12 alumni featured in the 40th anniversary magazine, published in May 2019. Learn more about the history of St. Andrew's and the impact our alumni are having around the world by reading our spring magazine.