Melanie A. Prince, assigned to Headquarters Air Force, is responsible for developing strategies to eliminate interpersonal violence in the military. She started her career as a medical-surgical nurse and progressed through 20+ years of diverse clinical experiences in emergency care, inpatient and ambulatory health, wounded warrior programs, population health, disease and case management.
Her excitement and confidence in the principles of case management inaugurated the Air Force’s first independent Nurse Managed Clinic staffed exclusively by case managers, where patient outcomes were game-changers for medical management and population health. Recognized for fusing business acumen with clinical expertise to launch award-winning programs, Melanie is considered a subject matter expert in case, disease, and utilization management.
As the Air Force consultant for case management, she advised Air Force senior leaders on case management policy and practice, forging the adoption of Case Management Society of America (CMSA) standards of practice and industry principles for clinical case management. Melanie penned content for global case management contracts with Air Force, Army and Navy, designed on-line training for novice case managers, developed protocols, and co-authored military Medical Management Guide.
Melanie served in various leadership positions including Commander (Chief Executive Officer) of a medical facility, Strategist and Policy Analyst, Nurse Executive and Case Manager Supervisor. Her practical experience also extends into quality improvement methodologies such as Lean for Health Care, Six Sigma, and strategic transformation, useful in driving powerful organizational change at various levels. She was also an adjunct faculty member at Trinity Washington University.
She is a graduate of Air University in Montgomery, Alabama, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Military Strategic Studies. She also has a Master’s Degree in Nursing with a concentration in Case Management from University of Arizona, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
Active in professional organizations, Melanie has been elected to local and national leadership positions, as well as appointed to national advisory roles for the CMSA, including Chapter President and Treasurer, National Board Director, Secretary, Public Policy Committee and Case Management Industry Leadership Coalition member, Military Liaison and Advisor to the CMSA National Board. As one of the founders of the DOD/Veterans Affairs Military Day, Melanie launched a forum that brought clinical case managers from diverse backgrounds who served wounded warriors and other clients, into a full day of workshops, collaborations, and professional development. Military Day is now a permanent part of the CMSA’s annual conference after over 10 years of growth and evolution supporting case managers from the Air Force, Army, Navy, National Guard and Reserve components, TRICARE, and Veterans Affairs.
Melanie has been a requested speaker, including annual CMSA conferences, and penned case management content, editorials, policy, and training in various publications both military and non-military. A distinguished leader and mentor in her profession, she has won numerous awards including the distinguished CMSA Chapter, 2003 and National Case Manager of the Year, 2004.
