SOME SPORTS MOMENTS ARE UNFORGETTABLE FOR ATHLETES AND FANS ALIKE – AN UNDERDOG VICTORY, A BUZZER-BEATING PLAY, A SENSATIONAL FINAL PERFORMANCE BY A FAN FAVORITE

And then there are moments we would prefer to forget, like an unexpected pop, an unfortunate pull or a nagging pain — an injured athlete leaving the game.

Those not-so highlight-reel worthy moments can be treated by Dr. Heath Melugin, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon at CoxHealth in Springfield.

Until he started college, athletics were Melugin’s world. He set records on the Kickapoo High School soccer team.

He also experienced his share of injuries, seeking care from orthopedic specialists.

“I became interested in orthopedic surgery at a young age,” Melugin said, “and I liked the fact that through practicing as a physician, I could remain around athletics.”

WIFE WHO IS ALSO AN ALUM: “HE’S ALWAYS GOAL-DRIVEN”

As Melugin started his college search, he knew he wanted to continue playing soccer. He also wanted a career in health care.

He was recruited by Coach Jon Leamy and staff on Missouri State’s men’s soccer team.

“When I went on the recruiting visit, I was also introduced to the cell and molecular biology program,” Melugin said.

“I knew of some other soccer players who went through that program and had great success.”

The demands of being a Division I athlete weren’t easy, especially when paired with a challenging major.

When he wasn’t on the soccer field, Melugin spent the majority of his time in the library or class.

Busy soccer schedules sometimes meant studying on long bus rides to away games or attending early classes after getting home in the dark hours of the morning.

From a coach’s point of view, Leamy saw Melugin as the complete package: He balanced the demands of performing both on and off the field.

“He just always seemed to put things in perspective. He was steady, consistent and excellent in all facets,” Leamy said.

While at Missouri State, Melugin was with his now-wife Kelsey (née MacLachlan). The two started dating in high school, and they attended MSU together.

“He’s always been goal-driven, it was just a matter of what the goals were,” Kelsey Melugin said.

“In high school, it was all about soccer. Then when he got to college, he thrived academically.”

Kelsey graduated with her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2011, and Heath received his bachelor’s in cell and molecular biology in 2012.

KICKING OFF HIS CAREER: A RESIDENCY AT MAYO CLINIC

After graduation, Melugin received an offer to play professional soccer but chose medical school instead.

The summer after commencement, they got married and moved to Kansas City. He went to the University of Kansas and graduated top of his class.

From there, Melugin accepted a residency in orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic, the top-ranked hospital in the U.S.

The residency meant a move to chilly Rochester, Minnesota, for five years.

During that residency, Melugin ran across what has since become a trademark quote of his: “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”

There are things he does for people he doesn’t even talk about, Kelsey said.

“I was telling the kids last week a story of when we were back in town visiting from Minnesota, and he was the first person who came upon a wreck. He got out and pulled a person out of their car. They weren’t breathing, they were blue, and he did the jaw thrust, got them breathing, waited for paramedics to get there and waited up following the news story and following on Facebook. And the person survived and was doing well, and I was like: You saved her life. You don’t even tell anyone. I’d be walking everywhere telling the story.”

He works hard at everything, she said, including their marriage and parenting: “He just helps make everyone around him a better person, really.”

TAKING CARE OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC SKI AND SNOWBOARD TEAM

His next stop was a prestigious sports medicine fellowship at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. It’s a world-renowned clinic in orthopedics and sports medicine care.

While there, Melugin worked as a team physician for the U.S. Olympic Ski and Snowboard team.

He had unforgettable experiences that took him out of a traditional hospital setting and allowed him to tap back in to his own athletic ability.

Right before the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Melugin had the opportunity to go to Switzerland with the women’s downhill ski team.

He worked at an Olympic training camp as athletes, including some big household names, prepared for the winter games.

“We would stand on skis at the top of a mountain and watch as the athletes skied down,” Melugin said.

“If somebody got hurt, we’d ski down and take care of them.”

MOVING BACK TO SPRINGFIELD TO HELP HIS HOME COMMUNITY

Once the fellowship ended, the Melugins were faced with the decision of where their family would go next.

They wanted to go back to the place they considered home: Springfield.

Melugin has been an orthopedic surgeon at CoxHealth for about two years. His former coach is happy to have him in town.

“The neatest thing in the world is to see somebody go full circle and get all the training and the experience that goes into being a big-time doctor, then see them come back to a community like this and help others,” Leamy said. “It’s fantastic.”

Melugin is now practicing in the city where he went to college.

“Being in the sports side of things, we get to take care of a lot of people I grew up with — their parents, their kids even, their family,” Melugin said.

“Inevitably, they have injuries that unfortunately sideline them for a while. It’s fulfilling to be part of the process in getting them back to doing what they love to do.”

His current goals are to continue providing care to area athletes and expanding the treatment options available in the area.

CoxHealth is providing health care for college athletes and Springfield’s new arena football team, the Ozarks Lunkers.

“He’s already done so much for the community. There are procedures he does that weren’t done in Springfield before,” Kelsey said.

“It’s neat to see all the time he’s put in paying off and the quality of life he can give back to people.”

The Melugins have three kids: Finley, 8, Ellie, 7, and Cole, 5.

Melugin’s time outside of work is spent playing sports with his kids, hunting, fishing and enjoying warm weather with his family at Table Rock Lake.

The family also revisits Colorado with annual ski trips.

“The kids have become pretty good skiers,” he said.

HE’S STILL CONNECTED TO MSU ATHLETICS, ACADEMICS

Melugin stayed in touch with Leamy and others from Missouri State while he was finishing his med school journey.

He still speaks with them on a regular basis. He stays connected to Missouri State by supporting athletics and the soccer program as part of the Alumni Advisory Board.

Students in health care programs at Missouri State can also see Melugin at work, since classes observe surgeons at CoxHealth.

“I speak very highly of the cell and molecular biology program, and I really think that program prepared me extremely well for medical school,” Melugin said.

“Missouri State was a fun place to go to college, but also a place that prepared me for life after college.”