About

About Dr. Mel Ona

Mel Ona, MD, MS, MPH, MA

(From Wikipedia) A polymath (Greek: πολυμαθής, polymathēs, “having learned much”), sometimes (if male) referred to as a Renaissance Man, is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas.

Dr. Mel Ona is Board Certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Lutheran HealthCare in Brooklyn, New York where he served as Chief Resident during his PGY-3 year.

Mel graduated with an M.D.  from St. George’s University School of Medicine in 2009.

Prior to medical school, he received a Master of Science degree in Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism with a Specialization in Physiology from the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

He also earned a Master of Arts in Medical Science from Boston University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health.

He graduated from College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and pre-medical studies.

During graduate school, Mel founded a fitness consulting company. He has helped hundreds of people change their bodies and transform their lives through nutrition coaching, exercise, and proven success principles.

Mel is a former, competitive amateur natural (drug-free) bodybuilder having competed in several bodybuilding shows between 1999 and 2002 and winning multiple “Best Poser” and “Best Posing Routine” awards.

Mel is also skilled in martial arts having earned a Black-belt in Jeet Kune Do (under Bobby Giordano, American Martial Arts Center), a Black-belt in Eskrima (under Cacoy Canete, Doce Pares Eskrima), and a Blue-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (under Stephen Whittier, Nexus Martial Arts).

Mel is a musician at heart: Violin (started at age 6 with the Suzuki method, studied under Boris Zapesochny at the Eastman School of Music in high school, Concertmaster in college), guitar (self-taught since 1989), piano (self-taught since 1988), bass guitar and drums (self-proclaimed ‘hacker’), and operatic singer (started training under Nancie Kennedy at the Eastman School of Music in 1987, Marsha Vleck at College of the Holy Cross, David Harper during graduate school, and currently training under Karen Nimereala in Manhattan, NYC). He has professionally recorded two albums (Passages and Melo).

Currently, Dr. Ona is an academic Attending Physician at Lutheran Healthcare.

He is also the President of ONA Healthy Life, L.L.C. and founder of www.MelOna.com, www.ONAHealthyLife.com, and www.TipsForThriving.com. He regularly contributes medical content at www.QnAMed.com (a community for medical professionals).

Dr. Ona has authored several books related to health, fitness, and tips for thriving in medical school and residency.

He plans to publish his next book in early 2013 (co-authored by mixed martial arts/elite athlete and nurse, Phillipe Nover).

Mel lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two dogs.