Melissa has responsibility for the editorial decisions on the BioMed Central series of medical journals. She has a degree in genetics, developmental and cell biology from Dartmouth College and earned her MD from Washington University School of Medicine. After completion of the residency program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, she spent several years in clinical practice as a hospitalist. Melissa is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and joined BioMed Central in 2005.