In addition to her leadership role, Melicia is also principal investigator at Gramercy Research Group. She is responsible for developing a program of externally funded research to advance Gramercy’s mission.
Her research interests include the role of physical activity in obesity prevention and control among racial and ethnic minority groups; physical activity behavior change programs among racial and ethnic minority groups; physical activity assessment; community-based participatory research; faith-based health promotion; and minority health and health disparities.
Melicia’s academic credentials are lengthy. She earned a doctorate degree in public health/epidemiology from the University of South Carolina, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. She received a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in physical education, exercise and sports science from the UNC-Chapel Hill. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Before founding Gramercy Research Group, Melicia served as executive director the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Collaborative to Strengthen Families and Neighborhoods; as director of outreach for the Maya Angelou Center for Research and Minority Health at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center; and as an assistant professor of epidemiology and prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, all in Winston-Salem, N.C. She also worked as an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Melicia’s personal and professional goal is for the research done at Gramercy to make a difference in improving people’s lives. She also is open to suggestions from community groups on suggestions about improving the health and wellness of their members.