Janella Melius

Janella Melius, PhD., is a licensed clinical social worker, with a background that spans over fifteen years in the foster care system. Dr. Melius is a faculty member at Walden University in the Barbara Solomon School of Social Work & Human Services. Her research interest is aimed at examining the effects of social determinants, particularly social-cultural environment effects on obesity outcomes among persons of Latino and African Ancestry and specifically among Caribbean Americans. She anticipates this work will contribute to formulating culturally targeted interventions for reducing health risk behaviors associated with obesity outcomes among this population. Dr. Melius has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences both nationally and internationally. Dr. Melius is a fellow of NIH- Obesity Health Disparity (OHD) PRIDE at the University of Mississippi, Medical Center, a member of the Council on Social Work Education, an Affiliate of the African American Collaborative Obesity Network, a New Connections, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation member, and a Scholar of Dr. Alfred M. Haynes Institute for Social Equity at Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, TN

Education

PhD, Norfolk State University, VA

MSW, University of Akron, Ohio

Bachelor of Social Work, University of the Virgin Islands