Melissa Gerald

Biography

ELISSA GERALD is a program director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Gerald’s portfolio is focused on the role and impact of families and interpersonal relationships on health and well-being in midlife and older age, and she is developing a research program devoted to animal models of human sociality. Prior to joining BSR, Gerald served as a scientific review officer at the Center for Scientific Review, where she administered and oversaw the scientific review of applications for the Biobehavioral Regulation, Learning, and Ethology study section and special emphasis panels in the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes Integrated Review Group. Dr. Gerald obtained her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles and her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She received postdoctoral training in behavioral neuroendocrinology as an Intramural postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies’ Primate Section at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Research Interest

Neuroendocrinology, Biobehavioral Regulation