Melissa Simon

About Melissa Simon

Melissa A. Simon, MD MPH is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. She is Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology, and full tenured Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Preventive Medicine and Medical Social Sciences. She serves as the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement of the Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Simon\'s primary research, clinical care and teaching interests are aimed at eliminating health disparities among low income, medically underserved populations. She is an expert in implementation science, health equity and community engaged research. She is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative. The Simon Research Lab (http://labs.feinberg.northwestern.edu/simon/) is dedicated to promoting health and health care equity. Using community-based participatory action approaches to research, training, and education, with the goal to promote social change that will improve the health of culturally diverse, underserved populations. One strong example of innovation and impact in the field is through her Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).\"Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and This course helps students translate their lived experiences into marketable health care career skills while offering a menu of resources to build their skills in resume writing, job search, interviewing, networking, and professional communications. This menu is not often presented to students from low-income and nontraditional backgrounds, but the goal is to seek to change the existing architecture of who can access these essential skills for moving upward in higher education and in seeking employment. By the end of the course, thousands of students will have the roadmap as well as the skills to pursue the next step toward a healthcare career. Although this course is geared toward health professions, the skills taught can be applied to any number of STEM career pathways.

Experience

1. Obstetrics and Gynecology Physician

   Northwestern Medicine

   Jun 2006 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

Education

• The University of Chicago

  Bachelor's Degree

  1990 — 1994

• Yale University

  Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program

  2000 — 2004

• Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center

  Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)

  1996 — 2000

• Northwestern University

  Fellowship in Reproductive Health

  2004 — 2006

• University of Illinois at Chicago

  Master's Degree, Epidemiology

  1994 — 1996