Melissa Anderson, PhD, MSCI, Receives Science and Health Achievements Award

iSPARC is pleased to announce that iSPARC and DeafYES researcher Melissa Anderson, PhD, MSCI, has received the Science and Health Achievements Award from the UMass Chan Women's Faculty Committee.

The Science and Health Achievement award is given to a faculty member who has made exceptional contributions to the basic or clinical sciences in medicine. Nominators are asked to include examples of the nominee’s significant contributions, and evidence of their leadership and collaboration in scientific communities.

Dr. Anderson is a Gallaudet-trained psychologist and clinical researcher who strives to provide accessible behavioral healthcare to members of the U.S. Deaf community. She founded DeafYES at UMass Chan Medical School in 2014, where she has continually provided outpatient therapy and conducted research on Deaf mental health.

DeafYES's mission is to partner with the Deaf community to develop innovative addiction and mental health resources that are uniquely and expertly tailored for Deaf signing people. DeafYES provides culturally affirmative, linguistically accessible behavioral health services to Deaf therapy clients, while their NIAAA-, NCATS-, and NIDCD-funded programs of research revolve around developing innovative, evidence-based behavioral health interventions and research methodologies.

Congratulations, Dr. Anderson, on this great achievement!