Ellen Melamed passed away on February 1, 2021 from COVID 19.

Ellen joined the Insight Meditation Tucson sangha in 2015. Certified in the Alexander Technique, she offered a class for IMT in Mindful Movement and met individually with sangha members. Her service was based in reducing pain, living in awareness, and later to help navigate the healthcare system. She served on the IMT Sangha Council, continually advocating for more diversity in the IMT sangha and was happy to see an Awakening to Whiteness class series that she attended. She was also pleased to see a woman of color in an upcoming workshop, Cultural Spiritual Bypassing, with Sebene Selassie and Brian Lesage. Ellen had a fierce and big heart, and when she asked, ”How are you?” she listened deeply and was fully present, genuinely wanting to know. We will carry her in our hearts.

Below is a piece on Arizona Illustrated covering a course on Narrative Medicine that Ellen had taught at the University of Arizona.