HSR Announces New Director for the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative

Research News

September 23, 2024

Melissa Braganza, MPH, is the new Director for the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI). Melissa has been serving as the Acting Director since October 2023, overseeing QUERI, a national program that funds more than 60 centers and over 400 investigators. As QUERI Deputy Director, Melissa served as the lead for QUERI strategic planning and program communications and supported VHA's implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act), ensuring QUERI initiatives align with VA national priorities and integrating Evidence Act policy efforts with QUERI's bottom-up implementation efforts to support providers in delivering evidence-based care. From August 2016 - May 2022, Melissa served as QUERI's Scientific Program Manager, where she led several national initiatives, including the systematic prioritization, scientific review, and reporting of impacts to help fulfill QUERI's goal of accelerating the implementation of evidence-based practices and policies to improve Veteran health.

Prior to joining the VA, Melissa led Health Services Research at the Health Management Academy, working with leading US health systems to create a knowledge network and peer learning forum to support best practices in healthcare. Melissa received her Master of Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis and completed a two-year Cancer Research Training fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Melissa has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Notre Dame. She is also a graduate of the Partnership for Public Service's Excellence in Government Fellows Program.