Melissa McPheeters (Vanderbilt)
Dr. Melissa McPheeters completed her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003 and went on to lead systematic reviews at the CDC as a coordinating scientist for the Guide to Community Preventative Services. She came to Vanderbilt in 2007 and is currently Director of both the Vanderbilt Evidence Based Practice Center (EPC) and the Center for Population Health Sciences. The EPC conducts systematic reviews, technical briefs, and future research projects on topics of high importance. Dr. McPheeters oversees all methods and methodological training at the EPC, is the lead on engaging stakeholders and managing communication, guides topic development and refinement, and leads individual reviews. Additionally, she leads all dissemination efforts of the EPC and is the primary liaison for development of clinician and patient guides and CME materials based on the EPC’s reviews. The Center for Population Health Sciences serves as a scientific resource for the implementation of population health across Vanderbilt University Medical Center, linking the research and operations enterprises. Dr. McPheeters’ work combines research translation and policy, including the role of stakeholders in CER, with the use of large databases and conduct of systematic reviews. Dr. McPheeters is a Research Associate Professor in the Departments of Health Policy and General Medicine and Public Health and is the program director of V-POCKET, Vanderbilt’s AHRQ-funded K12 award to train junior investigators in patient-centered outcomes research.