Melissa Tracy
MPH, Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, 2006
PhD, Epidemiologic Science, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 2012
Postdoctoral fellow, Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 2014
Melissa Tracy, PhD, joined the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University at Albany College of Integrated Health Sciences as an Assistant Professor in September 2014. Dr. Tracy's research uses novel analytic and computational methods to investigate social factors influencing trajectories of mental health and substance use, as well as policies and interventions to reduce health disparities. Her current research projects include the development of an agent-based model to simulate interventions aimed at preventing violence transmission across different types of social relationships (e.g., from parent to child, between romantic partners, between peers) at different stages of the life course (e.g., early childhood, school age, adolescence, adulthood). In addition, Dr. Tracy leads evaluation projects for New York State (NYS) agencies, including the NYS Office of Mental Health and NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. She is particularly interested in providing research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students considering careers in public health.
Research Interests
- Mental health
- Substance use
- Violence transmission within social networks
- Violence and injury prevention
- Social determinants of health
- Health disparities
- Complex systems approaches to population health