Melissa Burnham

Dr. Melissa Burnham, Ph.D., serves as Department Chair and Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Education and Human Development. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Human Development, Family Science and Counseling, as well as the Early Childhood Education track of the Integrated Elementary Teaching Program (IETP).

• Ph.D. in Human Development (University of California, Davis, 2002)
• M.S. in HDFS (University of Nevada, Reno, 1996)
• B.S. in HDFS (University of Nevada, Reno, 1994)

Her research focuses on infant/child development within contextual frameworks, particularly sleep development. She examines how early care quality and PreK-Third Grade reforms affect developmental outcomes, while also exploring teacher-student relationship policies and pandemic impacts on families.

Recent publications analyze equity in teacher preparation, pandemic-related graduate student challenges, and educational reform strategies. Her work spans developmental psychology, educational policy, and contextual behavior analysis.

Dr. Burnham has served in multiple leadership roles including Associate Dean (2015-2019), IETP Steering Committee Chair, and President of both the Nevada Commission on Professional Standards and Nevada Association for Colleges of Teacher Education.