Melinda Davis
Biography
Melinda Davis is the director of community engaged research for the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network, research assistant professor in the OHSU School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine and assistant professor in the School of Public Health.
Davis, who was raised in the Columbia River Gorge, currently co-leads the Community Health Advocacy and Research Alliance, a community-academic collaboration based in the Gorge with a mission to “identify, develop, and conduct health research to answer questions that matter here.” She has over 10 years of experience working with patient, community and health system partners to identify and address health disparities in rural and underserved settings. She has a strong commitment to improving access to care and reducing rural health disparities.
Davis is currently conducting mixed-methods research to understand regional variation in colorectal cancer screening and to identify and implement evidence-based interventions to improve screening rates in rural and underserved settings.
Education, Degrees
B.A., Biology/Environmental Studies, Whitman College, 2002
M.A., Experimental Psychology, University of Vermont, 2006
Ph.D., Social-Developmental Experimental Psychology, University of Vermont, 2010
Awards and Honors
- 2016, Emerging Leader Award, Oregon Public Health Association
- 2009, George W. Albee Graduate Student Award in Community Psychology, University of Vermont Psychology Department
- 2002, Phi Beta Kappa, Whitman College
- 2002, Sigma Xi, Whitman College
Research
- Participatory Research to Advance Colon Cancer Prevention (PI: Gloria Coronado). National Institute of Minority and Health Disparities, 10/1/2016 – 9/30/2021, Role: Co-Investigator/Site PI.
- Assessing the Potential for a State Medicaid Reform Model to Reduce Disparities (PI: K. John McConnell). National Institute of Minority and Health Disparities, 9/1/2016 – 8/31/2021, Role: Co-Investigator
- Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) – Colorectal Cancer Screening Evidence-based Intervention Modeling Cross-Center Workgroup (PI: Stephanie Wheeler). Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 10/1/2015 – 09/29/2016, Role: Site-PI.
- Oregon Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) K12 Program (PI: Melinda M. Davis). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 10/15/2014 – 7/31/2017.
- Evaluation of the Oregon Colorectal Cancer Screening Project (PI: Melinda Davis). Oregon Health Authority, DHS Department of Human Services, 11/1/2016 – 7/31/2020.
- Connecting Research and Real Life: Building a Network in the Columbia River Gorge Part III (PIs: Melinda Davis and Kristen Dillon). Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), 8/1/2016 – 7/31/2017.
- Sustainable Relationships for Community Health (SRCH) Evaluation (PIs: Melinda Davis and Adrienne Zell). Oregon Health Authority, DHS Department of Human Services, 7/1/2016 – 8/31/2017.
- Organized Approaches to Colorectal Cancer Screening (Melinda Davis and Gloria Coronado). Oregon Health Authority, DHS Department of Human Services, 4/1/2016 – 12/31/2016.
- Collaboration for Healthy Oregon Through Systematic Evaluation (CHOOSE). (PIs: John McConnell and Lyle J. Fagnan). Oregon Health Authority, DHS Department of Human Services, 2/10/2016 – 2/09/2018, Role: Co-Investigator (Qualitative and Stakeholder Engagement Lead).
- Disparities in CRC Screening: A Mixed-Methods Multi-Level Study of Oregon’s Medicaid Population (Melinda Davis and Cynthia Mojica). Knight Cancer Institute, 1/1/2016 – 12/31/2016.
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