Eleanna Melcher

Eleanna holds a Bachelor of Philosophy in neuroscience and psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in German from the University of Pittsburgh along with a minor in chemistry. Eleanna is an MD/PhD graduate student research assistant at CHDR. Eleanna has research experience in reproductive biology and genetics, psycholinguistics, and social media and mental health. She is completing her PhD in population health sciences. She is passionate about the social determinants of health, health disparities, and equitable care across the life course. She will be studying the effects of childhood exposure to disadvantage and its association with Alzheimer’s disease. 

As an MD/PhD student, Eleanna feels incredibly privileged to be at the intersection of science and society, where she can actively advocate for her patients while also researching the fundamental causes of health disparities. Her passion for medicine has been life-long. Her pursuit of medicine was enriched by her experiences as a Connections4Health Fellow at Pittsburgh’s Birmingham Free Clinic, where she first learned to advocate for people, worked to break down the barriers to well-being most of  which encompassed social determinants of health, and contributed to a mutually-enriching community partnership.

“I believe that each person has a fundamental right to be well and have equitable access to health care. Working to understand health disparities and translate the research into policy and practice is one step towards achieving that goal.”