Melancon is originally from Louisiana and received his medical education and surgical training from Tulane University. He completed a multi-organ transplantation fellowship at the University of Minnesota. The Minnesota transplant program is internationally acclaimed for its work in pancreas and islet cell transplantation. Melancon’s specialties include kidney, liver and pancreas transplantation, pancreas islet and stem cell transplantation, and laparoscopic kidney donation. Among his research interests are minimizing immunosuppression, transplant organ tolerance, racial differences in outcomes of organ transplantation, stem cell transplantation and islet transplantation.