Ward-Peterson, Melissa

Melissa Ward
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Positions

Postdoctoral Associate, Epidemiology , Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

Contact Info

mward@fiu.edu

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overview

Melissa Ward, PhD, MPH, is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Community-Based Research Institute. A social epidemiologist by training, her research interests include disparities in access to substance abuse treatment and women’s health. Dr. Ward has extensive experience in health equity research and program management, and has provided technical support for numerous projects sponsored by federal and international agencies. Currently, she coordinates and manages the Research Infrastructure Core for FIU’s Research Center in Minority Institutions (FIU-RCMI). In 2019, Dr. Ward was awarded an FIU-RCMI pilot grant for a mixed-methods research project examining barriers to treatment for women with opioid use disorder. From 2016-2017, Dr. Ward participated in the inaugural cohort of FIU’s Presidential Leadership Program. She has worked at FIU since 2013; prior to joining the FIU-RCMI team in 2018, she worked as a Research Analyst and Medical Simulation Manager in the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Prior to coming to FIU, Dr. Ward worked in the Department of Health Policy at George Washington University (GW) coordinating monitoring and evaluating the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, a $130 million international health program in 12 African countries administered by the Department of State, HRSA, and NIH. Dr. Ward also completed a GW Global Health Service Fellowship in the Public Health Information and GIS Unit at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

selected publications

Article
- 2020
  
  Effect of flavour manipulation on low and high-frequency waterpipe users' puff topography, toxicant exposures and subjective experiences. TOBACCO CONTROL. 29:S95-S101.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055040 Web of Science: 000530037200006
- 2020
  
  Multilevel influences of women’s empowerment and economic resources on risky sexual behaviour among young women in Zomba district, Malawi
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1017/S0021932020000590
- 2019
  
  The association between insurance status and diagnostic imaging for acute abdominal pain among emergency department patients in the United States, 2005-2014. CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH AND OPINION. 35:1365-1370.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2019.1585337 Web of Science: 000475660500006
- 2018
  
  ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HIV AWARENESS FACTORS, HEALTH FACILITY CHARACTERISTICS AND RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG YOUNG WOMEN IN ZOMBA DISTRICT, MALAWI. JOURNAL OF BIOSOCIAL SCIENCE. 50.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1017/S0021932017000694 Web of Science: 000458500700007
- 2017
  
  Association of ventricular arrhythmia and in-hospital mortality in stroke patients in Florida A nonconcurrent prospective study. MEDICINE. 96.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007403 PMID: 28700475 Web of Science: 000405656000013
- 2017
  
  Effect of charted mental illness on reperfusion therapy in hospitalized patients with an acute myocardial infarction in Florida. MEDICINE. 96.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007788 PMID: 28834883 Web of Science: 000408504800020
- 2017
  
  Examining the association between possessing a regular source of healthcare and adherence with cancer screenings among Haitian households in Little Haiti, Miami-Dade County, Florida. MEDICINE. 96.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007706 PMID: 28796056 Web of Science: 000407835000029
- 2017
  
  Racial disparities in cancer-related survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus in the US between 1973 and 2013. PLOS ONE. 12.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183782 PMID: 28832659 Web of Science: 000408355800101
- 2017
  
  The association between pregnancy intendedness and experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression among new mothers in the United States, 2009 to 2011 A secondary analysis of PRAMS data. MEDICINE. 96.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000005851 PMID: 28178128 Web of Science: 000394391200009
- 2016
  
  Advancing non-directive pregnancy options counseling skills: A pilot Study on the use of blended learning with an online module and simulation. CONTRACEPTION. 94:348-352.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2016.03.005 PMID: 26984870 Web of Science: 000384033000008
- 2016
  
  Association Between Race/Ethnicity and Survival of Melanoma Patients in the United States Over 3 Decades A Secondary Analysis of SEER Data. MEDICINE. 95.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000003315 PMID: 27124020 Web of Science: 000376925600008
- 2016
  
  Furthering the Validity of a Tool to Assess Simulated Pregnancy Options Counseling Skills. OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY. 128:12S-16S.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000001624 Web of Science: 000398933100004
- 2016
  
  Racial/ethnic disparities in annual mammogram compliance among households in Little Haiti, Miami-Dade County, Florida An observational study. MEDICINE. 95.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000003826 PMID: 27399061 Web of Science: 000380372400007
- 2014
  
  Physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa: current initiatives and opportunities. HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH. 12.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1186/1478-4491-12-21 PMID: 24754965 Web of Science: 000335187200001
Letter
- 2018
  
  MeToo and TimesUp in Academic Medicine: Research About Sexual Harassment Must Include Staff. ACADEMIC MEDICINE.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002175 Web of Science: 000439699000003
Review
- 2018
  
  Using multilevel models to evaluate the influence of contextual factors on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, and risky sexual behavior in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review. ANNALS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 119-134.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2017.11.006 PMID: 29439782 Web of Science: 000426228000008

research interests

Women's Health, Opioid Use Disorder, HIV, Social Epidemiology, Health Disparities

teaching activities

IDH3034-U21: Honors Seminar V: Aesthetics, Values, and Authority Fall Term 2019
IDH3034-U21: Honors Seminar V: Aesthetics, Values, and Authority Fall Term 2019
IDH3035-U21: Honors Seminar VI Spring Term 2019
IDH3035-U21: Honors Seminar VI Spring Term 2019

full name

Melissa Ward-Peterson

ORCID iD

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9296-981X (confirmed)

visualizations

Recent publications and grants in Scholars@FIU

Co-author Network

publication subject areas

Biomedical Social Sciences
Business & Economics
Demography
Education & Educational Research
General & Internal Medicine
Health Care Sciences & Services
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Research & Experimental Medicine
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Substance Abuse

Citation index-derived subject areas the researcher has published in