MELISSA HUANG

Project Manager & Researcher

I am a creative and analytical problem solver with 5+ years of experience spanning across research, project management, analytics, and science communication. I also have 3+ years of experience in patient-facing roles in healthcare. I use my innovative and critical thinking skills to solve problems and contribute to the mission of enhancing the health and wellbeing of people. I love taking projects end-to-end, using data-oriented approaches, leading teams with empathy, and collaborating with cross-functionally. Upon completing my degree, I look forward to applying my multifaceted training to solve real-world challenges and use scientific approaches to contribute to improving people's lives. Outside of work, I channel my creativity toward cooking up meals, designing graphics, and photographing my 2 shiba inu dogs.

Clinical Researcher

Chorus Health is a venture capital-backed digital health technology startup that is transforming how we approach women’s health. As the first R&D hire, I am evaluating the clinical efficacy of a new digital behavioral health program.

Chorus HealthSept 2021 - Present

Researcher; Lab & Project Manager

At Gao Lab, I run the day-to-day operations and optimize the laboratory’s workflows and project roadmaps. We use state-of-the-art research techniques including psychophysiological and brain imaging methodology to study the determinants of child and adolescent mental health symptoms.

CUNY Brooklyn College - Gao Lab2016 - Present

Researcher & Project Manager

In the Nomura lab, I co-led 3 longitudinal biomedical research projects on maternal and child health, psychosocial stress, development, and behavior. We collaborate with major NY hospitals and use a holistic approach to understanding the origins of psychopathology through the use of biological specimens (blood, urine, saliva, stool), behavioral observation, clinical interviews, and biometric measurement.

CUNY Queens College - Nomura Lab2017 - May 2021

Project Management

I have overseen projects from start to finish across academia and clinical settings. My involvement and findings have generated multiple national conference presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, and successful funding through grant applications/renewals. Tools I use include Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite), Notion, Asana, Slack, and Office365.

Data Analytics

I am versed in collecting, cleaning, transforming, and analyzing data. I have experience in the following analyses: t-tests, ANOVA, regression (linear, multiple, step-wise, HLM), moderation, mediation, reliability analysis, principal component analysis, and factor analysis. Tools I use include SPSS, R, Python, SQL, Excel, Google Sheets, JAMOVI, and JASP. I’ve also harnessed tools such as Tableau, […]

Healthcare

I have several years of direct patient-facing experience. I’ve worked with clinical populations in research and geriatric populations in the healthcare industry and have collaborated closely with physicians across projects. I am familiar with basic medical terminology, GCP, HIPAA, and health insurance. I’m also currently working in the digital healthcare space.

Abstract links can be found at my Google Scholar (linked at the bottom). Interested in the full-text? I'm happy to share those - e-mail me!

Refereed Journal Articles

Gao, Y., Huang, Y., & Li, X. (2021). Selfish parents, parenting practices, and psychopathic traits in children. Behavioral Sciences and The Law, DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2541

Huang, Y., Zhang, W., Go, K., Tsuchiya, K. J., Hu, J., Skupski, D.W., ... Nomura, Y. (2020). Altered Growth Trajectory in Children Born to Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Preeclampsia. Archives of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 301, 151-159.

Lam, B. Y. H., Huang, Y., & Gao, Y. (2020). Gray Matter Asymmetry In The Orbitofrontal Cortex In Relation To Psychopathic Traits In Adolescents. Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Zhang, W., Ham, J., Li, Q., Deyssenroth, M. A., Lambertini, L., Huang, Y., ... & Nomura, Y. (2020). Moderate prenatal stress may buffer the impact of Superstorm Sandy on placental genes: Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study. PloS one, 15(1), e0226605.

Huang, Y., Wu, T., Luo, Y., Wu, Z., Fagan, S., Leung, S., ... & Gao, Y. (2019). The impact of callous-unemotional traits and externalizing tendencies on neural responsivity to reward and punishment in healthy adolescents. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 1319.

Hu, J., Ly, J., Zhang, W., Huang, Y., Glover, V., Peter, I., Hurd, Y., & Nomura, Y. (2019). Microbiota of newborn meconium is associated with maternal anxiety experienced during pregnancy. Developmental Psychobiology, 61(5), 640-649.

Nomura, Y., Davey, K., Pehme, P., Finik, J., Glover, V., Zhang, W., Huang, Y., ... Ham, J. (2019). Influence of in-utero exposure to maternal depression and natural disaster-related stress on infant temperament at 6 months: The children of Superstorm Sandy. Infant Mental Health Journal.

Zhang, W., Li, Q., Deyssenroth, M., Lambertini, L., Finik, J., Ham, J., Huang, Y., ... & Yoshida, S. (2018). Timing of Prenatal Exposure to Trauma and Altered Placental Expressions of HPA-Axis Genes and Genes Driving Neurodevelopment. Journal of Neuroendocrinology.

Gao, Y., Huang, Y., & Li, X. (2017). Interaction between Prenatal Maternal Stress and Autonomic Arousal in Predicting Conduct Problems and Psychopathic Traits in Children. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 39, 1-14.

Merz, E., McDonough, L., Huang, Y., Foss, S., Werner, E. & Monk, C. (2017). The Mobile Conjugate Reinforcement Paradigm in a Lab Setting. Developmental Psychobiology. DOI: 10.1002/dev.21520

Book Chapters

Schug, R. A., Gao, Y., Glenn, A. L., Peskin M., Huang, Y., & Raine, A. (2021). The Developmental Evidence Base: Neurobiological Research and Forensic Applications. In Forensic Psychology, British Psychological Society.

Gao, Y., Shug, R., Huang, Y., & Raine, A. (2021). Successful and Unsuccessful Psychopathy: An Updated Neurobiological Model. In A. Felthous & H. Hass (Eds.) International Handbook of Psychopathic Disorders and the Law. John Wiley & Sons.

Articles in Review or Preparation

Gao, Y. & Huang, Y. (under review). Selfish parents, parenting, and child psychopathic traits. Behavioral Sciences and The Law.

Zhang, W., Huang, Y., Stalias, M., & Nomura, Y. (in revision). Placental SLC6A4 Gene Expression Predicts Infant temperament at 6-12 Months: The Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study. Infant Behavior and Development.