Melissa Jonson-Reid

Melissa Jonson-Reid serves as the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work and Research Associate Dean for Educational Programs at Washington University in St. Louis' Brown School. She directs the NICHD-funded Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training and chairs the Violence and Injury Prevention specialization within the Master of Social Work program, collaborating extensively with the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies.

Her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley informs her research on childhood trauma outcomes, with practice experience as a California school social worker and domestic violence counselor. She currently provides evaluation consultation for state and community organizations addressing child welfare systems.

Jonson-Reid's work centers on leveraging multi-agency administrative data to improve behavioral, educational, and health outcomes for children exposed to abuse and neglect. Her research identifies intervention points within public sector services, evaluates family support programs, and develops child abuse prevention strategies through community agency partnerships.

Recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on predictive risk modeling in child welfare, cultural factors in partner abuse interventions, and repeat neglect reporting patterns. Her methodology emphasizes real-world application of administrative data to shape evidence-based policy without requiring new resource allocation.

As an educator, she chairs doctoral committees and previously directed the Social Work Ph.D. program. Her leadership extends to evaluation consultation for state agencies and research grants including the Systems for Action initiative to improve child welfare systems.