Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

Melissa Perry head shot
Titles and Organizations

Dean
College of Public Health
George Mason University

Biography

Dr. Perry is the Dean of the College of Public Health at George Mason University. Trained as an epidemiologist in public health, she is internationally respected for her work as a scientist, educator, and academic leader. Dr. Perry’s research in occupational and environmental epidemiology has been well-funded by both federal agencies and foundations.

Dr. Perry completed a one-year sabbatical in Albania as a Fellow in the Fulbright International Education Program for Global Scholars from 2021 - 2022. Among a large number of other appointments and honors in support of academic organizations and professional societies, she is a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST); is a Past-President and Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology; Chair of the Review Committee of the Health Effects Institute; Past Co-Chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Emerging Science; and Past Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Center for Environmental Health’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Prior to coming to Mason, Dr. Perry served as a Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University from 2011 – 2022. She also held faculty appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and Statistics at the Milken School of Public Health, as well as in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In addition, she previously served as the Interim Associate Dean for Research at the Milken School of Public Health. Prior to joining the faculty and leadership at George Washington University, Dr. Perry was a member of the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health (1999 – 2011) as well as the Medical College of Wisconsin (1995 – 1999).

She has published more than 150 frequently cited manuscripts, technical reports, book chapters, commentaries, and book reviews and has presented at over 25 American universities and in over 17 countries. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health where she received both her MHS and ScD degrees. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont where she was recognized as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa organization. She is currently a candidate for an MBA degree at George Mason University.

Degrees

  • Doctor of Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
  • Master of Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Vermont