Director | Associate Professor

Melissa Sharer, PhD, MPH, MSW

Melissa Sharer has been working in public health, social welfare, and youth development since her time with the Peace Corps in Armenia starting in 1994. She has spent the past 25 years working in international settings, and is experienced in developing, delivering, and managing programs and research in development, relief and post-conflict/transitional settings. Central areas of interest and experience focus around building strong public health and social services for children/youth inclusive of HIV/AIDS, maternal/child health, mental health, and issues related to gender-based violence. Dr. Sharer has expertise in designing/managing operational and participatory research, providing training/teaching and in implementing public health programs in the United States, and in over 25 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Having a strong writing skills and a background in education, she has developed and delivered professional health, HIV, GBV, and youth/peer trainings tailored for audiences ranging from low-literacy populations to medical doctors. Dr. Sharer has authored several peer-review publications, case studies, and training manuals, is an academic editor for the PLOS One journal, and has made several oral presentations at international and national conferences. In all of her roles, Dr. Sharer actively employs participatory action research methods, designed to ensure the voices of the most vulnerable are at the table and to eliminate gaps between research and action. Her focus has remained strongly person-centered, reinforcing the fact that the person must be at the center of all healthcare programs, research and policy actions, most recently focused on gun violence prevention in the United States.

Contact Us

Contact Melissa Sharer for information on Master of Public Health

Center for Health Sciences Education

SharerMelissaJ@sau.edu

Education and Training

PhD, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
MSW, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
MPH, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
BS, University of Illinois

Recent Publications

Melissa Sharer, Clara Haruzivishe, Augustine Ndaimani & Malia Duffy (2024) ‘The tablets make a certain noise’: uncovering barriers and enablers related to providing PMTCT services to adolescents and young women living with HIV in Zimbabwe, HIV Research & Clinical Practice, 25:1, 2371174, DOI: 10.1080/25787489.2024.2371174
Posner, J., Duffy, M., Madevu-Matson, C., Casella, A., Tagoe, H., Sharer, M. (2023). Assessing the person-centered care framework and assessment tool (PCC-AT) in HIV treatment settings in Ghana: A pilot study protocol. PLOS One. (in press).
Perkins, A. N., Nowakowski, A. “Xan” C. H., Alva, S., Rimal, N., Sharer, M., Davis, N., & LaFond, A. (2023). Expanding the Lens From Health Outcomes to Learn More About Key Stakeholders and the Structural Factors as a Pathway Toward Health Equity. American Journal of Evaluation, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140231190836
Malia Duffy, Melissa Sharer, Nicole Davis, Sabrina Eagan, Clara Haruzivishe, Milly Katana, Ndinda Makina, Ugochukwu Amanyeiwe (2019). Differentiated antiretroviral treatment distribution models: Enablers and barriers to achieve universal HIV treatment in South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. September-October 2019 - Volume 30 - Issue 5 - p e132-e143.
Melissa Sharer, Nicole Davis, Ndinda Makina, Sabrina Eagan and Malia Duffy (2019). Increasing Patients' Antiretroviral Treatment Availability While Reducing Nursing Workloads. An Evaluation of Barriers and Enablers to Implementation of Differentiated Treatment Distribution Approaches in South Africa. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. J 2019 Sep-Oct; 30(5):511-520.
Duffy M. H., Sharer M., Berhan, A., Kose, J., Cornman, H., Pearson, J., & Eagan, S. (2017). HIV risk screening for high-yield community testing services for orphans and vulnerable children: a literature review. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 1-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2017.1332399
Sharer, M., Cluver, L., Shields, J. J., & Ahearn, F. (2016). The power of siblings and caregivers: under-explored types of social support among children affected by HIV and AIDS. AIDS Care, 28(sup2), 110-117.
Sharer, M., Cluver, L. D., Shields, J. (2015). 'Mental health of youth orphaned due to AIDS in South Africa: Biological and supportive links to caregivers.' Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 10(2).
Sharer, M., Eagan S., Valiyeva, S., & Duffy, M. (2015). Healthy Lifestyle Promotion - Training of Trainer's Manual. Boston, MA. USAID's Turkmenistan Together for Health Program.
Sharer, M., & Fullem A. (2012). Transition of care and other services for adolescent living with HIV-Technical Brief. Arlington, VA: USAID's AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1.
Sharer, M., & Gutmann, M. (2011). Prioritizing HIV in Mental Health Services Delivered in Post-Conflict Settings: Uganda. Arlington, VA: USAID's AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1.
Duffy M. H., Sharer M., Cornman H., Pearson J., Pitorak H. & Fullem A. (2016). 'Integrating mental health and HIV services in Zimbabwean communities: A nurse and community-led approach to reach the most vulnerable,' Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.
Duffy, M. H., Bergmann, H., & Sharer, M. (2013). Toolkit for transition of care and other services for adolescents living with HIV. Arlington, VA: USAID's AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1.
Duffy, M. H., Sharer, M., & Fullem, A. (2013). Training manual for the toolkit for transition of care and other services for adolescents living with HIV-Training Manual. Arlington, VA: USAID's AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1.
Duffy, M. H., & Sharer, M. (2013). Workshop for integrating mental health services into HIV programs in Zimbabwean communities. Training of Trainer's Manual. Arlington, VA: USAID's AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1.
Pitorak, H., Duffy, M. H., & Sharer, M. (2012). "There is no health without mental health": Mental health and HIV service integration in Zimbabwe, situational analysis. Arlington, VA: USAID's AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1.
McGinn, T., Austin, J., Anfinson, K., Amsalu, R., Casey, S., Fadulalmula, I. S., Langston, A., Lee-Jones, L., Meyers, J., Mubiru, F. K., Schlecht, J. Sharer, M., Yetter, M. (2011). Family planning in conflict: Results of cross-sectional baseline surveys in three African countries. Conflict and Health. 5(1):11

Presentations

“Punishment and Salvation: Prison Abolition and Barth’s Just Judge,” presented at the Karl Barth Conference, 2023

Courses Taught

Evaluation and Assessment

Through the use of case studies and community experiences, this course will explore how to integrate current public health theories and intervention in health evaluation and promotion. Students will examine the multifaceted factors which impact personal healthcare decisions and community engagement with preventative interventions. The students will explore federal, state, community, and international funding for health promotion and evaluation activities

Global Health Systems

This course allows students to examine social, economic, and political determinants of health care systems and the evolution of various systems around the world over the last few decades. Students will compare theories of health policy and priorities, models of government intervention in providing health care and insurance, systems of remuneration, financing, planning, manpower, education and training. Students will review the major determinants of health status as it applies to international development systems and social change around the world and reflect on how it applies to our own health care system and society.

Management and Leadership

This course will examine the management and leadership of public health programs through multi-professional and systems lenses. Intervention planning, design, budgeting, staffing, implementation, quality assurance, evaluation measures, ethics, and funding will be explored, as well as factors that guide decision-making within public health organizations and systems, such as human-centered design, equity of access (including cultural competence and cultural humility), resource allocation, and collaboration. Students will practice writing a grant proposal, including a budget and budget narrative. The US public health ecosystem is the main focus of the course; examples, case studies and readings will also provide a global context.

Global Health Policy

This course is an introduction to policy and its relationships with advocacy. The processes and theories related to policy making will be explored, as well as the role of advocacy in the policy making. The course focuses on critical analysis, comparison, and construction of public policies in local, state, regional, US and globally.

Integrated Learning Experience

The ILE will exhibit a synthesis of CEPH competencies in a culminating high quality written document-examples include practice-based project; essay-based comprehensive exam; capstone course; students must produce high-quality written product (e.g. program evaluation; training manual; policy statement; legislative testimony with supporting research, etc.) This course is typically taught over a 16-week period.

Gender Based Violence

This course provides a bi-directional application of learning where students relate what they have learned, in an advocacy role, to a local as well as global contexts. The course illuminates the dynamics and impacts of violence, with a focus on gender-based violence, and equips students with advocacy competencies aligned with interpersonal violence, violence prevention, trauma informed care, crisis intervention, anti-oppression, and diversity.