Melissa Jonson-Reid
Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work Research
Associate Dean for Educational Programs
Contact
Phone: 314-935-4953
Email: jonsonrd@wustl.edu
Education
PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Areas of Focus
Child welfare research
Children's public sector services and policy
Interagency administrative data research
Child abuse and neglect prevention research
Family violence prevention
Biography
A major focus of Melissa Jonson-Reid’s work is understanding how to improve the behavioral, educational and health outcomes associated with childhood exposure to trauma, particularly abuse and neglect. Her work responds to child maltreatment as a serious, prevalent public health concern.
Jonson-Reid has used multi-agency administrative data to identify targets of opportunity to leverage existing resources and/or evaluate policy and program efforts to promote healthy outcomes. She partners with community agencies to explore outcomes of interventions designed to support young families and youth involved with child welfare, as well as child abuse prevention efforts.
Jonson-Reid has practice experience in both domestic violence counseling and program administration as a school social worker in California; she currently provides evaluation consultation for state and community organizations.
At the Brown School, Jonson-Reid directs an NICHD-funded Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training and chairs the Violence and Injury Prevention specialization in the Master of Social Work program. Both of these involve collaboration with the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies. A former director of the Social Work Ph.D. program, she currently serves as chair or member of several doctoral student committees.
In Brown School News
14 Brown School faculty among the world’s top influential scientists
October 10, 2025
Brown School faculty named to ‘World’s Top 2% Scientists’ list
November 12, 2024
“Most Impactful” Social Work List Includes Many With Brown School Ties
April 17, 2024
Brett Drake, Leader in Data and Child Welfare Research, Installed as Endowed Professor
May 5, 2022
Brown School Faculty Among Most-Cited Scientists
March 1, 2022
Buder Center Gets New Funding for Students Working in Indian Country
July 26, 2021
How Marriage is Impacted by a Breast Cancer Diagnosis Among African American Women
April 13, 2021
Brown School Awarded Systems for Action Grant to Improve Child Welfare
July 1, 2020
Brown School Recognizes Faculty Authors and Editors
May 7, 2020
Decrease in Abuse Hotline Calls Not a Good Sign
April 16, 2020
Featured Publications
A practical framework for considering the use of predictive risk modeling in child welfare
ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
2021
Pathways to Seeking Help from a Partner Abuse Intervention Program: A Qualitative Study of Voluntary and Non-Court Mandated Latino Men’s Experiences
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
2019
Repeat Reports Among Cases Reported for Child Neglect: A Scoping Review
Child Abuse and Neglect
2019