Melissa Gilkey, PhD
About
Dr. Melissa B. Gilkey is an associate professor of health behavior in the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health. With research interests in adolescent health, cancer prevention and health services research, Dr. Gilkey studies individual, interpersonal and organizational approaches to improving the delivery of adolescent vaccines, including human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Her work includes survey research to understand barriers to vaccination, such as provider and parental hesitancy, as well as intervention research aimed at improving vaccine delivery systems. Dr. Gilkey is co-PI of a study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate the AFIX (Assessment, Feedback, Incentives and eXchange) model for improving HPV vaccine coverage in primary care settings.
View the "Making Asthma Care More Affordable" video on YouTube.
Melissa Gilkey in the Gillings News
- UNC awarded $11.7 million to help providers improve HPV vaccine communication, uptake among adolescents
- CDC grant expands COVID-19 vaccination to doctor’s offices, targeting hard-to-reach populations
- Parents ranked cancer prevention as No. 1 provider reason for HPV vaccination
- A majority of parents would support schools’ requiring HPV vaccinations, as long as there are opt-outs, survey finds
- Study finds sizeable minority of physicians do not strongly endorse HPV vaccine
Representative Courses
Cancer Prevention and Control Seminar (HPM/HBEH 765, EPID 772)
Research Activities
- Cancer prevention
- Adolescent health
- Provider behavior change
- Health services research
- Implementation science
Education
- PhD, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 2011
- MPH, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina, 2005
- BA, English, University of North Carolina, 1998
