Melissa Kimber

Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences

Dr. Kimber is a Registered Social Worker with a PhD in Health Research Methodology. She is a Core Member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, an Associate Member of McMaster's Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact. She is the first social worker and non-MD to be appointed to the Chedoke Health Chair in Child Psychiatry. Her research focuses on understanding the experiences of child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, child welfare involvement, and mental health challenges among young people, as well as co-developing, implementing, evaluating, and scaling-up effective interventions in these areas in collaboration with youth, service-provider, and policy partners. As part of her program of work, Melissa leads the  Violence, Evidence, Guidance, and Action (VEGA) Project, a pan-Canadian initiative focused on improving healthcare and social service responses to young people and their families experiencing family violence (i.e., child maltreatment & intimate partner violence). She is also the Site Principal Investigator for the Cohort network for Adolescents and youth with multipLe Mental health Conditions (CALM) Master Observational Trial at McMaster Children's Hospital (Hamilton Health Sciences). Melissa also continues to provide social work and psychotherapy services to youth at a private practice in Hamilton.