Melissa Carlson, MRA, is a Research Project Manager in the Department of Behavioral Health Science and Practice at the University of South Florida (USF). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Healthcare from USF and a Master’s degree in Research Administration from the University of Central Florida. With more than a decade of experience, she has supported more than 40 federally and state-funded research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects advancing behavioral health initiatives across community, regional, and statewide systems. Her work includes close collaboration with multidisciplinary research teams, community partners, and Florida policymakers and is grounded in a strong interest in ethical research design and regulatory integrity, including the practical application of IRB requirements, human subjects’ protections, and data governance across applied research and evaluation settings. Across this work, she focuses on translating rigorous evaluation findings into actionable guidance for practice, policy, and funding decisions. Her contributions have resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications, technical evaluation reports, and conference presentations at the local, state, and national levels.