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Melissa Cunningham, MS, MPH, RD

Public Health Prevention Service Fellow,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Melissa Cunningham came to the CDC as a fellow for the Public Health Prevention Service in October 2009. As part of her two year field assignment for the fellowship, she will join the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and the Physical Activity & Nutrition Branch in the NC Division of Public Health as a Public Health Prevention Specialist. There she will work to address creating greater access to and education about healthy foods for lower-income North Carolinians.

Her specific projects during her two year assignment include:

• Researching and developing a Community Food Environment Assessment Tool
• Coordinating local food policy council work and integration with local PA & Nut. Coalitions
• Serve as staff support for the Public Health and Food Access Disparities working issues team
• Co-coordinate nutrition education and cross promotional materials development for the WIC & Senior FMNP and 21^st CFM Integration Pilot for 2011
• Survey, plan, coordinate, budget for, manage and evaluate policy and program efforts among state partner agencies to introduce and enhance food purchasing and preparation skills into existing curricula and programs for lower income families with children and adolescents who are overweight or at risk for obesity and /or food insecurity

Before coming to North Carolina, Melissa worked in the Physical Activity and Health Branch in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC. Her main projects included creating the State Indicator Report of Physical Activity, 2010 and evaluating awareness and knowledge of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines using HealthStyles, 2008 and 2009. She also worked in the Center for Global Health with the Sustainable Management Development Program. Her main activities there included supporting the first Regional Management for International Public Health Course held in Botswana where she was responsible for curriculum development and evaluation.

Prior to arriving at the CDC, Melissa completed her Dietetic Internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. She received her MS in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition and MPH from Tufts University and her bachelor's degree from the College of Holy Cross.

She is originally from Massachusetts, enjoys traveling, adventure and is an avid runner.