Melody Cunningham

Dr. Melody Cunningham recently relocated to Missoula after 15 years as Medical Director of Threads of Care, Pediatric Palliative Care at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior, Melody served as Medical Director in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital. During her 24 years of caring for pediatric patients with serious illness, she realized that family and patient decisions at the end of life are intensely guided by personal values. She believes that listening and honoring these values and individual assessments of quality of life may facilitate healthy grieving and ultimately healing. Personal, sudden losses taught her early in life that the opportunity to say goodbye is a gift and has guided her in patient advocacy. In Montana, she sees the need for availability of hospice for children. Melody has received several awards including the FDA Pediatric Advisory Committee Service Award in 2021 and finalist for the prestigious Schwartz Center National compassionate Caregiver of the Year award in 2015. Melody has served as Fellowship Director for University of Tennessee Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship and Medical Director of the Thalassemia Program at Harvard Medical School.