Matriarch of Community Healthcare
Affable, spirited and strong – Dr. Minerva Mervat Kelada is the Matriarch of Community Healthcare. A veteran in the field of medicine, she has been a Doctor, Director, Administrator, and Owner of an urgent care facility and rural health clinic for over 30 years. She now holds the title of Chief Medical Officer for Imperial County Physician Medical Group in the county, which she finds quite challenging as “it is a big risk and responsibility to have such a position for several years directing the young medical physicians on the right path,” she says.
Based in Calexico, California (USA), Mervat comes from a long lineage of Greek descendents. She emigrated to the United States with her ex-husband 42 years ago and ended up at the prestigious UCLA for her medical education.
Coming from a family with a missionary background, Mervat planned to go on a missionary trip to Africa, but it got canceled at the last moment. At about the same time, she ended up in the border city of Mexico and California where there is extreme poverty as well as shortage of adequate healthcare. Moved by the prevailing conditions, she decided to start her practice and urgent care facility right there after graduating from medical school almost 32 years ago. This was the beginning of Mervat’s Deanza Clinics.
With her expert skill and unmistakable joie-de-vivre, she soon found a home in the hearts of the people in the community. She became greatly involved with her patients and it became quite an experience because she would assist in many of their surgeries to show her support and ensure they didn’t feel alone during their journey to recovery.
By this time, her kids were grown up and going to medical school and law school, but unfortunately, she lost two of her kids, one in service and another in a big accident. Immediately, all her patients rallied around her with emotional support, making her grateful for being a physician. “In another life, I’d strive to be a doctor once more,” she tells us proudly.
Adept in Family Medicine, Clinical Research, Strategic Planning, Medical Education, and Public Speaking, Mervat also became an Adjunct Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCSD. She was involved in a lot of missionary work in Egypt and Africa, in particular Sudan and Uganda, as a physician and practitioner. She helped set up the American Academy Family Medicine Chapter of residency overseas, and conducted many rural family practice trainings for family medicine residents over the years.
In her career spanning 4 decades, Mervat held many positions as a Hospital Board Member, Liaison Physician, Chair of many departments, including a pharmacy. In addition, she ventured into another passion – Real Estate. “I love to buy old properties and redevelop them. Real estate is what helped me acquire wealth more than my practice in medicine,” she reveals.
Nevertheless, hers wasn’t an easy journey. There were many challenges, hard work being the main one. Mervat was the only female physician in the community for at least 20 years. It was very challenging to navigate as the only woman in what was a predominantly male dominant practice. She also faced obstacles in real estate when it came to acquiring old properties and renovating them. It was tedious work, but she was able to acquire an old hospital building and have it transformed into an effective emergency room for the community.
While it is never easy to bring about change, Mervat was able to accomplish much, thanks to her patients. “My patients were my inspiration to continue my path in helping them in their healthcare. Their love and support is what keeps me going with my practice. I am honored by them and I thank them for making me feel special for doing what I love. I am truly grateful to have reached many of my goals, like becoming a Medical Director, opening my practice, and finding time for my work in real estate.”
She goes on to express her gratitude to God… she feels blessed despite losing some of her children. Her daughter, who was a veteran, passed away while serving. Her son has been under Mervat’s care since, and her goal now is to see all her grandchildren being raised in the right path like she did with her children. That includes her daughter’s son and her other son’s children, who is also a doctor.
Always on the lookout to do yet more for the society, Mervat is working towards another interesting goal – a community arts/healthcare program called Camp Joseph. Through this program, she wants people to embrace the positive effects art can have in one’s life. “My children learned to embrace my passion for art in their lives. Growing up, if they wanted a new item, they would do art projects for me first in order to ask for said item. I’d love to pass on this passion to other children of my community.”
Full of grit and grace, it comes as no surprise that everyone, no matter how big or small, looks up to Mervat as a leader. How does she define her unique style of leadership, we ask her? “My definition is basically – walk the mile, be humble, listen, and love – it never fails.”
The unwavering commitment to be there for people has seen Mervat bestowed with many honours – National Congregational Award for Physician of the Year 2002-2003, Business Woman of the Year Congregational Award, Health Conference Leadership Award, Medical Staff Awards, Community Award for Best Treatment for CoronaVirus, among others. Being a Consultant for the Medical Board was another feather in her cap – to be chosen as a discipline consultant for medical physicians for 13 years. On the other hand, getting an award from the Congregational Committee was a great deal for Mervat, the businesswoman.
As someone who has observed people and life for years together, what message does Mervat have for our readers so that they may achieve fulfillment in their lives? She shares, “As I like to say, 1.Satisfaction is an endless wealth 2. Love never fails, and 3. Kind answers ease anger.” We are happy to add one ourselves – there is no match for wisdom, certainly not for one like the indomitable Dr. Mervat Minerva Kelada.
