Community Highlights: Meet Dr. Steve Feyrer-Melk of Optimal Heart Center and Body Lab

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Steve Feyrer-Melk. 

Hi Dr. Feyrer-Melk, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today? 

It’s been quite a journey. 

So how could it be that this small-town jock became the Director of Lifestyle Medicine at a highly successful medical practice in Scottsdale, Arizona? 

Is it possible that growing up in a small, rural town of less than 500 people, working hard on a farm, and experiencing 8th grade in a two-room schoolhouse with only four boys and three girls, was enough to get me started in the right direction? How could I end up in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a Ph.D. after my name, especially when sports and competition was the priority in my early life, not math and science? 

I would admit that I demonstrated some problem-solving ability when I realized if I wanted to participate in sports, I had to have good grades. So, I did what I had to do to get on the field every season. 

But that wasn’t the nudge that started me on my path. What really is the answer? Well, like a good country love song, my story has a similar theme. A small-town girl. You see, much to my surprise I started dating the school valedictorian, who also happened to be the nicest and prettiest girl in the school. Little did I know that this relationship that started when I was just 15 years old, without a driver’s license mind you, would lead to a fulfilling life and amazing career. 

Let me explain the process that led to my academic enlightenment. It certainly was not for the love of learning. But it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that if I wanted to spend time with this lovely young lady, it would have to be when and where she was studying. The positive consequences of my decision were an increase in my educational focus and an increase in my relationship time. 

Well, my grades skyrocketed and after high school, I went on to college to continue playing sports and to receive a degree in physical education and biology. This was great. I was doing what I loved. Unfortunately, I felt I needed more, especially with my girlfriend on her way to becoming a medical doctor. So, I decided to continue on and receive a master’s degree that focused on exercise physiology and biomechanics. What was great was that I also was able to coach Division I football at Bowling Green State University. As I look back, it was during this time that my knowledge of the human body and the impact of targeted and specific training began to grow exponentially. 

During that energetic time, I become engaged to that high school sweetheart on a gondola in Venice, Italy. I was given an awesome opportunity at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to teach Exercise Physiology courses and run a testing laboratory. What was great about this experience was that I was also able to continue coaching at the collegiate level in both track and field, and football. This experience allowed me to apply more of my scientific knowledge and acumen both in the lab and in competition. It became more and more apparent that technology, as basic as it was at that time, had a significant impact on the ability to provide matched feedback to help individuals succeed. 

As my interest and passion grew, I could see that it was leading me to a higher level of education and application. To fulfill this drive, I began to search for a higher education program that stimulated me on my path. Amazingly, and in concert with my wife’s next stage of medical training, we came to Arizona where, after much effort and hard work, I was accepted into the doctoral program at Arizona State University. I was thrilled as the Exercise Science and Wellness program was the number one program in the country. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Studying under the renowned wellness expert and author, Dr. Charles Corbin, I blossomed in an environment of the best scientists and researchers in the world. It was during these years that my passion to bridge the gap between an individual’s desire to improve health, quality of life, and fitness, to advancements in research and technology took root. 

At first, this focus was not easy since research is very seldom directly applicable to the real world, especially applicable on an individual basis. I quickly realized that the best theories, the best methods, and the best programs, meant virtually nothing unless an individual was able to implement them into their life. As a result of this realization, I decided to focus my doctoral research on behavior science and do my best to bridge the gap between research and application. My study was centered on the science of behavior change and this has been the driving force behind my professional accomplishments. As I look back over the past 30 years, I can say with confidence that behavior science is the linchpin to applying my craft successfully to the individuals I work with. 

As time rolled on, I continued to hone my skills teaching and consulting in areas centered around behavior science, interaction through proper communication, and health technology. With a cardiologist for a wife, I have had more and more opportunities to apply my work within a medical setting. 

Unfortunately, I came to realize that the medical system is more of a reactive, sick care system and not a health care system. For example, as a cardiologist, my wife had the amazing ability to work with the most complicated cases, diagnose the problem, and then treat it. The problem with this process as it related to me, as it was explained to me by a friend, is that my proactive and preventive mindset to prevent disease was diametrically opposed to the current health care system that my wife was a part of. 

As her career blossomed, which included the cover of the Phoenix Magazine, TopDoc issue, she realized that medicine and technology had surpassed the diagnose and treat formula being practiced. She was discovering options that would prevent heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, etc. Following much conversation and deep soul searching, we decided to join forces and put together the best heart attack and stroke prevention program available. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Optimal Heart Center and Body Lab? 

The Optimal Heart Center & Body Lab is Arizona’s only concierge cardiologist practice. Located in Scottsdale, Optimal takes control of patients’ personal health goals via an elite, comprehensive medical and lifestyle medicine program. Led by a wife and husband team, Dr. Anne-Marie Feyrer-Melk and Steve Feyrer-Melk, Ph.D., the Optimal Heart Center & Body Lab offers a new approach to managing health by focusing on proactively preventing disease. Dr. Anne-Marie Feyrer-Melk is a pioneer in preventive concierge cardiology and is guided by the science from within a patient’s own body to identify root causes of vascular disease. She leverages a myriad of advanced, non-invasive structural tests to detect silent and invisible plaque in the arteries. Dr. Steve developed The Body Lab to optimize clients’ personal fitness through a proprietary 5-Week Total Body Evaluation. He utilizes more than 500-points of information to meticulously evaluate individual results providing actionable steps to re-calibrate fitness and achieve next-level results. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
With 10 successful years behind us, our passion has never waned. We continue to hone our skills and innovate with leading-edge technologies, diagnostics, and treatments to benefit everyone we work with. And now, ushering in our next exciting chapter in the world of elite personalized care is the launch of The Body Lab within our Optimal Heart Center medical setting. 

Developed over the past 30 years, the Body Lab will widen the spectrum of innovative wellness options for fitness-centered Members. The focus of the Body Lab is on health, fitness, and performance, and was designed to help “re-calibrate” an individual. To successfully accomplish this impressive goal, The Body Lab’s proprietary Total Body Evaluation targets 5 key areas in a 5-week period. 

Genetic Expression 

Cardiovascular & Muscle Health 

Body Composition & Mechanics 

Sleep & Rejuvenation 

The Active High-Achievement Mindset 

The most powerful factor at the foundation of The Body Lab is the comprehensive application of leading-edge technologies and testing protocols that provide a complete analysis that is found nowhere else. The Body Lab incorporates more than 500-points of data for meticulous evaluation and decoding of the complex health matrix. This proprietary Total Body Evaluation results in a personalized action plan with specific, actionable steps to re-calibrate you in performance, fitness, and health, setting you up to achieve next-level results. 

What a ride, with more to come. And to think it all started over 40 years ago when a small-town girl’s dream of becoming a doctor-led to a small-town boy becoming more than he ever expected. 

Call today or visit www.optimalheartcenter.com to set up free consultation to see if our program is right for you. 

Contact Info:

• Email: drsteve@optimalheartcenter.com
• Website: https://optimalheartcenter.com/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OptimalHeartCenter

Image Credits
Rick D’Elia