Atlanta sports exec Melissa Proctor invests in new Buckhead wellness center
In 2012, Melissa Proctor‘s mother died due to complications from obesity and strokes.
Proctor remembers being a senior in high school and having to help her mother, who was on disability with declining health.
“My entire adult life was spent as a caregiver,” Proctor told UATL.
She later had questions about what caused her mother’s health challenges and wondered what could’ve potentially saved her life.
“I was under the impression that if you eat well and regularly exercise, then you’d be good, but there are other things that come into play you may not control.”
Thirteen years later, the sports executive and author is investing in what she believes is a solution to longevity and preventive care, as cofounder of Pravida Health, which opened Thursday in Buckhead.
Pravida Health is a physician-led facility that aims to optimize clients’ health outcomes through a blend of traditional and alternative medical and wellness services. Its goal is to help people, from everyday health and wellness enthusiasts to professional and amateur athletes, become healthier and live longer.
Proctor, who serves as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, told UATL she wanted to make her first entrepreneurial venture something that improves diverse communities’ quality of life.
Normalizing preventive care is part of what motivated Proctor to become a partner in Pravida Health.
“In the Black community, you go (to the doctor) once a year, get a physical, and if they find something, then you address it,” she said. “Most people are not aware of all the research and tools that are out there to find solutions.”
She and Dr. Trevor Turner, Pravida Health’s medical director and cofounder, met through a mutual friend in October and discovered they shared an interest in helping underserved communities understand issues like skin care, heart disease and cancer, all of which are challenges for which Pravida offers some form of personalized care from its Buckhead offices.
In June, the American Academy of Dermatology reported that skin cancer for people with darker skin tones is more difficult to treat when diagnosed in later stages.
Another 2023 study conducted by University of Georgia’s College of Public Health concluded that African Americans in rural communities experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease than urban communities. And a 2024 study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 43.8% of African American adults in Georgia are obese.
To understand what causes obesity, Pravida Health uses what’s known as a DEXA scan — dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry — to determine fat mass, lean body mass, and visceral adipose tissue (fat around the organs) which is a key driver of inflammation. The center utilizes a telemedicine partner network to prescribe GLP-1, a hormone that regulates obesity and diabetes, to patients who are medically qualified.
“We needed a way to screen people correctly and identify those things ahead of time to minimize that risk,” Turner said.
Turner, who has held positions as a physician at the Andrews Institute and director of Georgia Bone and Joint’s orthobiologics center, creates trust with patients by sharing his own health struggles.
He injured his spine playing high school football in 2002 and later used platelet-rich plasma injections to heal. Turner’s family history with Alzheimer’s and dementia also inspired him to learn if he was at-risk to inherit it.
“My goal is to help as many people move forward in life with information and tools they need to be as well as they can be,” he said.
Nate Smith, Pravida’s imaging director, said getting a CardioScan (a test that measures the amount of plaque in blood vessels) gives patients a comprehensive look at information such as their risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
“It shows how well blood flows through your vessels and if there’s plaque or cholesterol building up,” Smith said.
Pravida Health also offers cosmetic beauty services, including skin treatments like chemical peels, microneedling (a puncturing technique for skin rejuvenation) and Botox treatments.
“Skin is the largest organ in the body and gets the most toxin exposure in the environment,” Turner said.
The medical spa also has Georgia’s first and only Aescape, an AI-driven robotics massage table that allows patients to use a touchscreen to customize pressure and music. Turner said it’s a safer alternative to a masseuse.
“It’s in a private setting with no potential abuse, malpractice or them requesting the same person,” he said.
Additionally, the company offers plasma exchange, which Dr. Turner said reduces toxins in blood, and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for wound healing. Pravida can also measure a patient’s VO2 Max, defined as the maximum amount of oxygen a person’s body can use during exercise.
While its measurement can be taken while a person is using a treadmill, bicycle, or rower, Pravida provides an indoor cycling device called a Wattbike, which is used by professional and Olympic athletes such as the USA Cycling team. Athletes commonly seek to enhance their VO2 Max in order to attain peak cardiorespiratory performance, but Dr. Turner believes it could be the single best measure for longevity currently available.
“A person who wants to survive a major illness or stay out of a nursing home benefits by testing and improving their VO2 Max,” he said.
Proctor and Turner expect these treatments to be popular with athletes in Atlanta, whether professional or amateur.
“Athletes use it to fine tune the ways they can train so they can win their events. It portrays longevity and how resilient they are from an injury or illness,” Turner said.
Pravida Health is one of several businesses in Atlanta specializing in medical wellness while also offering spa-style services. The company does not accept insurance but offers patient financing, and currently offers three membership packages and a payment plan option that includes glucose monitoring, therapy discounts and ultrasounds.
Live Lean Rx is an Atlanta-based fitness clinic chain that opened in 2010. Like Pravida Health, it offers DEXA imaging scans and VO2 max testing, which measures oxygen consumption.
Live Lean Rx co-owner Peter Fisher said there’s a growing demand for wellness facilities.
“Our traditional medical system is all about fixing it when we break it and medicating the problem. It’s created an opportunity for people who want to be proactive rather than reactive by taking responsibility and control of their health and wellness,” Fisher said.
Lithonia resident David Martinez got his first and only V02 max test at Precision Performance and Physical Therapy, a concierge-style clinic for runners, in 2022.
He was interested in finding out how regular running and cycling contributed to his overall physical fitness. He said the exam gave him a better understand of what would ensure longevity.
“I now know at which specific heart rate my body is optimized to burn fat as fuel. I wasn’t training for anything specific, but it gave me a better idea of my aerobic fitness,” Martinez said.
Turner said partnering with a nonmedical professional like Proctor allows him to make his medical observations accessible to clients beyond standard doctor appointments.
“It’s about radically breaking the model in health care, thinking about what puts us at the highest risk and mitigating it over time with the right data,” Turner said.
Proctor hopes Pravida Health will allow clients and patients to become more health-aware while enjoying relaxing experiences. She said investing in Pravida Health presents new professional challenges but allows her to continue her passion to serve various communities, just as she’s taken care of loved ones when in need.
“It’s a crash course in entrepreneurship, and I feel like an intern in someone else’s organization,” Proctor said.
“I had no idea about the range of stuff and what it means, but (I learned) it can help my family and others. I’m hyper-aware now, and this new chapter is really exciting.”
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This story was first published on July 28. It was updated on Aug. 1 to correct details regarding DEXA scans, which were incorrectly associated with ultrasound technology. The story was also updated to provide clarification that Pravida Health does not accept medical insurance, and on use of the Wattbike and CardioScan.
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.
