Director | Associate Professor

Melissa Sharer, PhD, MPH, MSW

Dr. Sharer is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the MPH program at St. Ambrose University.

Dr. Sharer has spent the last 25 years working in health-care starting with Peace Corps Armenia in 1994. Her work has primarily focused on HIV, mental health, youth/adolescent, maternal health, gender, and violence issues in over 25 countries including Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Malawi, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Timore Leste, Uganda, United States, and Zimbabwe.

In addition to her faculty role at St. Ambrose, Dr. Sharer continues to practice in the global health field as a Senior Technical Advisor at John Snow, Inc based out of Boston, MA.

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.

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