Melissa Sawaya holds a Master’s in Public Health and a PhD in Epidemiology from France, where she examined inflammatory and clinical risk factors for cancer outcomes using advanced statistical methods applied to real-world clinical data. Following this work, she developed predictive models using electronic health record data from Italy to evaluate clinical and immunoinflammatory predictors of bladder cancer survival, further strengthening her interest in how real-world evidence (RWE) can inform clinical and system-level decisions. Her research, both during and beyond her doctoral training, led to multiple peer-reviewed publications. In parallel, she collaborated with the WHO through the EVID-ACTION initiative on projects related to alcohol policy, and participated in European health innovation initiatives engaging with digital health and medical device projects that connect academia, industry, and healthcare stakeholders. These experiences led her to pursue Health Economics and Outcomes Research, particularly within MedTech, where evidence plays a central role in the adoption, reimbursement, and implementation of innovative technologies.
Through the J&J MedTech Fellowship, Melissa aims to deepen her expertise in real-world evidence generation and value-based healthcare, contributing to evidence-driven strategies that improve patient care and healthcare system efficiency.