AHA Recognizes Dr. Melinda Estes With Highest Honor

This week, AHA presented its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to Melinda Estes, M.D., the former president and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System based in Kansas City, Mo. Estes received the 2025 award during a ceremony held May 5 at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Estes retired at the end of 2023 as president and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System, wrapping up a nearly 35-year career in health care leadership. She was the AHA board chair in 2020 and served on several AHA committees.

“A physician leader with an unmatched and unshakable commitment to kindness and caring, Mindy has served her communities with dedication and led the health care field as AHA chair through incredibly challenging times, including the unprecedented COVID pandemic,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “Mindy’s efforts to improve patient care and access have had a significant impact at the national, state and local levels, and leave a lasting legacy that will be felt for years to come.”

Estes holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, and earned her medical degree from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, where she also completed a neurology and neuropathology residency. She received a Master of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management in 1995.