Melissa Haendel

Melissa Haendel, PhD, FACMI is the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Genetics at the UNC School of Medicine, serving as Director of Precision Health & Translational Informatics and Deputy Director of Computational Science at NC TRACS. Her research focuses on Rare Diseases, Real World Data, Ontologies, Semantics, and Precision Medicine through the Translational and Integrative Sciences Laboratory (TISLab). She leads global efforts in phenomics, clinical data integration, and open science frameworks like uPheno and MONDO disease alignment. Dr. Haendel has been awarded the 2024 Leading for IMPACT – Women in Leadership Award and is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.

Her lab’s work spans rare diseases, Down Syndrome, cancer, and public health challenges such as pandemic response and climate change. Recent projects include the NIH-funded RM1 grant for phenomics-first variant interpretation and the ARPA-H subcontract CHARM toolchain. She oversees the Center for Linkage and Acquisition of Data (CLAD), advancing All of Us Research Program data integration via cloud-based platforms.

Dr. Haendel has secured over $19M in NIH grants and collaborates across disciplines including epidemiology, data science, and pediatrics. Her postdoctoral mentorship includes Dr. Eric Hurwitz, co-author of studies on postpartum depression screening using wearable devices. Key collaborations involve UNC’s TraCS, Sheps Center, and external partners like OCHIN and Datavant to address health disparities through data-driven solutions.