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Experts
Melanie C. Chansky
Principal Research Associate
Contact
MelanieChansky@westat.comOverview
Melanie Chansky is a Principal Research Associate for Public Health with over 20 years of experience in qualitative research design and methodologies. She is an experienced user of NVivo for qualitative analysis and SPSS for quantitative analysis and also has extensive experience developing OMB submissions for large and small data collection efforts. Chansky completed Foundations of Data Equity training through We All Count, which teaches participants to apply the 7-step Data Equity Framework approach to design or refine program evaluations and data process decisions in ways that are congruent with project equity priorities. She is also a member of the 2025 Leadership Montgomery Emerging Leaders Program, which is designed for aspiring leaders who are dedicated to their communities and eager to enhance their leadership skills.
Chansky has led and contributed to a variety of research and evaluation efforts for federal agencies, including NIH, CDC, FDA, and SAMHSA. She serves as project director for the NIH’s Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) Scientific, Communications, and Technology Support contract, which provides a range of services. She also serves as Deputy Director for Evaluation and leads the process evaluation for the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Regional Teams. She also serves as project director for an FDA study on risk communication around medical device recalls, which involves focus groups and interviews with device users. Other examples of her work include designing a research protocol and conducting research to support a CDC campaign to raise awareness of early childhood developmental monitoring, conducting interviews for a SAMHSA national evaluation related to its Children’s Mental Health Initiative and an NHLBI pica study, and serving as a site liaison for coalitions involved in the Maternal Health Community Implementation project.
Education
- MAA, Applied Anthropology (with a focus in Community Health and Development), University of Maryland
- BA (with honors), Anthropology and French, Washington University