Melissa Kimber is a Core Member and Assistant Professor at the Offord Centre for Child Studies within the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. She is a Scholar of the CRE and has established a program of research with a focus on childhood exposure to maltreatment, including exposure to intimate partner violence, and mental health. She is a Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist and continues to provide front-line mental health assessment, social work, and psychotherapy to children and youth between the ages of 7 to 17 years, and their caregivers.

Melissa is especially excited about the possibilities of international knowledge exchange between the CRE and other institutions in the world that are devoted to reducing the number of children that are exposed to violence and who experience mental health impairment. She is very excited by the CRE's ongoing commitment to centering the expertise of those with lived experience, in their work and collaborations.

Melissa has a decade of research and practice experience at the intersections of childhood violence and child mental health. She has a PhD in Health Research Methodology and is a recognized expert in mixed methods and implementation science. Her research program encompasses epidemiology, intervention science, and health professions scholarship in the areas of childhood violence and child and adolescent mental health.

Melissa lives and works on the land many refer to as "Canada;" the specific region in which she lives and works is the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations, and within the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Agreement.

Running, playing sports (ice hockey and soccer), walking near lakes and oceans, and sharing time with her niece and nephews, is what keeps Melissa feeling connected, strong, and resilient.