Melissa Conrad

Melissa Conrad, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Her research focuses on the evolution of antimalarial drug resistance and molecular epidemiology of malaria transmission in Uganda. She collaborates closely with Ugandan researchers to evaluate drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, using molecular and ex vivo approaches to surveil emerging resistance and understand transmission dynamics. Her work also involves membrane feeding assays to study the human infectious reservoir of malaria.

Education: Conrad holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from New York University School of Medicine (2012), an MS in General Biology from New York University (2007), and a BS in Biology from Georgetown University (2002). She also completed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training at UCSF in 2021.

Research Interests: Her primary areas of focus include drug resistance mechanisms, genomic surveillance of malaria parasites, and malaria transmission dynamics. She utilizes advanced genomic techniques and field studies to track resistance markers and inform public health strategies.

Grants & Funding: Conrad is a co-investigator on major grants, including the Gates Foundation-funded 'Implementing malaria molecular surveillance in Uganda (IMMRSE-U2)' and NIH grants focusing on drug resistance surveillance and antimalarial drug pipeline evaluation. Her work bridges laboratory research with field epidemiology in Uganda.

Labs & Collaborations: She collaborates with institutions in Uganda, including the East Africa International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, and works closely with global partners on malaria control initiatives.