Melissa L. Wilson, MPH, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, her MPH degree in Epidemiology from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2005.

After completing her postdoctoral research at USC, she joined the faculty of the Obstetrics and Gynecology department. In 2012, Dr. Wilson moved to the Department of Preventive Medicine to pursue other research and teaching opportunities. Dr. Wilson's research interests focus on pregnancy and include the molecular epidemiology of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy, imprinted genes and placental development, subsequent effects of in utero exposure to Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy, and the effects of tobacco on placental epigenetic alterations and gene expression

Dr. Wilson also works as a Biostatistician for SC-CTSI BERD core. In this capacity, she works with faculty, fellows, and residents to ensure the appropriate design and methodology for research studies and conducts the statistical analysis. She has assisted over 250 investigators and has been involved in numerous successful publications and grant proposals.

Dr. Wilson teaches PM510 Principles of Biostatistics and Pm586 Perinatal and Reproductive Epidemiology. She also enjoys working with undergraduate, graduate, and medical students on real-life research projects, helping them to understand the process from protocol development, REDCap database development through manuscript preparation.