Melissa R. McCartney Ph.D.

Melissa McCartney

Melissa R. McCartney
Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Specialty/Research Focus

Biomedical Education

Contact Information
955 Main Street
3213
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone: 716-881-8003
mrm10@buffalo.edu
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Overview Research Publications Activities Latest News

Professional Summary:

My research lab is motivated by my own experiences with non-academic jobs and what these experiences taught me about developing a robust and diverse scientific workforce that expands outside of academia. First, scientific skills are in high demand, yet faculty often do not clearly make the connection for students between their degree (content knowledge) and the in-demand skills that it provides. Second, increasing the number of historically marginalized students both as graduates and as members of the STEM workforce is critical to cultivating the nation’s best scientific talent. Third, and related to increasing diversity, the demand for biomedical scientists is expected to increase over the next decade and retention of all future biomedical scientists within the STEM workforce is critical, we cannot afford to lose students at graduation. Therefore, my lab focuses on cultivating and retaining the future biomedical/STEM workforce by 1) developing new ways to implement skills-based interventions into biomedical science courses, 2) developing new assessments for measuring whether or not students identify as scientists, and 3) developing, implementing, and promoting career development interventions into biomedical science courses. All of these research aims are incorporated into the strategic goals of both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Research Theme 1: Teaching scientific practices. My interest in engaging students in the practice of reading primary scientific literature (PSL) stems from my time as an Editor at Science. My lab focuses on increasing engagement with PSL in the classroom by 1) alleviating implementation barriers, 2) integrating PSL with Vision and Change, and 3) developing new research-based assessments for measuring student learning.

Research Theme 2: Cultivating and retaining new scientists. A sense of belonging is positively associated with academic achievement and retention, and science identity is positively associated with STEM career choice and persistence to a STEM degree. My lab has developed and validated a sense of belonging questionnaire focused at the departmental level as a way to measure whether students feel connected to their department. The department is where students interact with a wide range of faculty and staff and, therefore, departments have several opportunities to increase the extent of students’ sense of belonging. We continue to expand this line of research by developing related assessments on climate and culture of undergraduate departments.

Research Theme 3: Enabling students to realize their scientific skills and identities en route to a STEM career. Almost half of undergraduates in a STEM major choose to pursue different careers than originally intended, and many students continue to debate possible careers after their undergraduate education. We should not assume that students are progressing toward intended STEM careers simply because they have persisted in STEM. Retaining STEM graduates in the STEM workforce starts with teaching them how to navigate the STEM workforce. My lab has developed and implemented a career development course (CDC) specific for biology majors and have shown that participation in the CDC increased students’ science and biology identities. We continue this line of research by qualitatively investigating the mechanisms underlying these identity shifts.

Education and Training:
  • Fellowship, Science and Technology Policy Fellow, The National Academies (2009)
  • Fellowship, Postdoctoral Fellow, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2008)
  • PhD, Neuroscience, The George Washington University (2006)
  • BS, Biochemistry, Binghamton University (SUNY) (2000)

Employment:
  • Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Florida International University (2017–2023)
  • Program Manager, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2015–2016)
  • Associate Editor, Science (2009–2014)

Awards and Honors:
  • Top Scholar Award (2023)
  • Research Award (2023)
  • Service Award (2020)
  • Outreach Award (2019)

Research Expertise:
  • career development, science identity, sense of belonging, assessment design, quantitative methods, qualitative methods, mixed-methods

Journal Articles:

See all (9 more)

Professional Memberships:
  • Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) (2022–present)
  • Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) (2017–present)
  • National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) (2015–present)
  • National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) (2015–present)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2009–present)
  • Association of Women in Science (AWIS) (2007–present)
  • Society for Neuroscience (SfN) (2002–present)

Presentations:
  • "Reinforcing Belonging and Scientific Identity in Predoctoral Trainees" Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Biomedical Research Training Conference Hosted by the Group on Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) (2024)
  • "Assessing Undergraduate Perspectives on Climate, Culture, and Sense of Belonging in Science Departments." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) (2024)
  • "Development and evaluation of CURE+, a research internship course in virus bioinformatics." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) (2024)
  • "Investigating Career and Research Experience Access Through Evidence (iCREATE) at a Hispanic-Serving Institute." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) (2024)
  • "Moving more students from STEM degree to STEM workforce: is targeted career development the key? ," Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) (2024)
  • "Undergraduate Life Science Professors’ Perception of the Vision and Change Core Content and Competencies for Preparing Students for Science Careers." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) (2024)
  • "Understanding biology students’ undergraduate mentoring experiences at a Hispanic-Serving Institution." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) (2024)
  • "Career Development for Biologists" Harvard University School of Forestry Summer REU program (2024)
  • "How to be a researcher: job skills and identity." University at Buffalo Department of Biological Sciences Summer REU program (2024)
  • "Resume workshop: learning to present your best self" University at Buffalo Department of Biological Sciences Summer REU program (2024)
  • "Who are your advocates? Strategies for reference letters." University at Buffalo Department of Biological Sciences Summer REU program (2024)
  • "Assessing Undergraduate Perspectives on Climate, Culture, and Sense of Belonging in Science Departments." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) East (2024)
  • "Development and evaluation of CURE+, a bioinformatics-driven biomedical research internship course." FIU Institute for Biomedical Sciences spring conference (2024)
  • "Moving more students from STEM degree to STEM workforce: is targeted career development the key?" Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) East (2024)
  • "Undergraduate Life Science Professors’ Perception of the Vision and Change Core Content and Competencies for Preparing Students for Science Careers." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) East (2024)
  • "Understanding biology students’ undergraduate mentoring experiences at a Hispanic-Serving Institution." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) East (2024)
  • "Where do all the Biology majors go?" Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) East (2024)
  • "Careers in science education (panel member)." Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2024)
  • "Careers+, a week-long boot camp for undergraduate career development." Week long career development workshop (2024)
  • "Integrating Culturally Relevant Yucatec Maya Language and Environmental Science Curricula With Maya Communities in Support of Cultural and Science Identity Development." STEM/STEAM and Education Conference (2024)
  • "What is a neuroscientist?" Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2024)
  • "Assessing Undergraduate Perspectives on Climate, Culture, and Sense of Belonging in Science Departments." FIU Biosymposium (2024)
  • "Beyond content: integrating scientific skills and career development into undergraduate biology curricula" Florida State University Department of Biology Seminar Series (2024)
  • "Characterizing the landscape of plant science careers" Florida State University Department of Biology Seminar Series (2024)
  • "Cornerstone over Capstone: the case for structured career development opportunities early in the undergraduate Biology curriculum as a way to influence science and Biology identities." University at Buffalo Biological Sciences Seminar Series (2024)
  • "Spring Forward!, a week-long boot camp for undergraduate career development." Florida International University (2024)
  • "Investigating Career and Research Experience Access Through Evidence (iCREATE) at a Hispanic-Serving Institute." Society to Advance Biology Education Research Meeting (SABER) East (2023)
See all (17 more)

Service Activities:
  • L’Oreal Women in Science Award: 8 proposals reviewed International Scientific Committee, Frontiers in Life Sciences, Paris Descartes University, PhD admission proposals: 20 proposals reviewed NSF MCA for Education Directorate: 7 proposals reviewed; Proposal review (2025)
  • The National Academies Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellowship: 9 applications reviewed; Review Panels (2024)
  • ; Faculty Senate, member (2024–present)
  • Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education (JMBE): 2 reviews Course Source: 2 reviews PNAS Nexus: 1 review PLOS One: 1 review Learning and Instruction: 1 review Plants, Planet, People: 1 review Discover Education: 1 review Heliyon: 1 review Pharmacology Research & Perspectives: 1 review BioScience: 1 review; Manuscript review (2024)
  • ; Graduate Curriculum Committee (2024–present)
  • member; PPBS Graduate Admissions Committee (2023–present)
  • ; Faculty Council (2023–present)

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Contact Information

955 Main Street
3213
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone: 716-881-8003
mrm10@buffalo.edu
View map

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