Melissa Schenkman, MPH, MSJ, was a Writer/Editor at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) from January 2017 to August 2021. She wrote and edited content for both lay and professional audiences.

Before joining PCORI, Schenkman worked as a medical and human interest writer for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital of Stanford University, where she reported and wrote stories about pediatric medical breakthroughs and the hospital’s impact on children in the surrounding community. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the American Dental Association’s ADA News and the Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association.

In addition to her work as a health and medical journalist, Schenkman has conducted research studies focusing on childhood obesity prevention in high school students, as well as in elementary school-aged children in the Girls on the Run Atlanta Program. Her primary interests are in pediatrics, cancer, heart disease, and the impact of the media on health.

Schenkman holds a BS in anthropology and human biology, and a BS in journalism, from Emory University, and an MPH in behavioral science and health education from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She also holds an MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, where she received the Comer Scholarship in Health, Medical and Environmental Reporting.