- PhD, Social Work and Sociology, Boston University
- MSW, Social Welfare (Concentration: Gerontology) University of California at Berkeley
- BSW, Social Work, University of Vermont
- Certificate in Gerontology, University of Vermont
- Professional Certificate, End of Life Doula, University of Vermont
- Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research, California Institute of Integral Studies
radio/podcast
radio/podcast
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Areas of expertise
Gerontology, hospice and palliative care, health and well-being of older adults, interprofessional practice, anti-oppressive practice, transformative research and evaluation, transformative pedagogy.
BIO
Dr. Kelly Melekis has been teaching courses on social work practice, research methods, and death, dying and bereavement for over 20 years. Prior to coming to the University of Vermont, she practiced as a clinical social worker in geriatric mental health and substance use, and taught social work practice, policy and research at Boston University, University of Hawaii, and Skidmore College. A U.S. Fulbright Scholar, she explored cultural variations in end-of-life care at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania.
As a gerontological social worker, Dr. Melekis’s scholarship focuses on 1) the health and well-being of older adults, particularly in terms of homelessness, housing, and social environment, and 2) the education and training of social workers, especially in terms of interprofessional practice in health and aging. She conducts primarily community-based research, with an emphasis on collaborative, participatory methods and her work contributes to improved policy, program development, and effective interprofessional practice. Dr. Melekis's research has been published in a range of interdisciplinary journals, including the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Aging and Mental Health, The Sociological Review, and the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice. She serves as a reviewer for several journals, including the International Journal of Housing Policy, Academic Medicine, and The British Journal of Social Work. Presenting her work reguarly at national and international venues, she has given invited talks in Finland, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, and Japan. She is also an organizer of the International Summer School in Social Work at the University of Lapland, Finland.
In addition to precious time singing, dancing and laughing with her two daughters and cooking yummy vegetarian food with her husband Mark (UVM MSW ‘14), she loves traveling, reading memoirs, live music, the original Star Trek series, and maple lattes.
Courses
SWSS 6140: Transformative Social Work I
SWSS 6150: Transformative Social Work II
SWSS 6270: Advanced Social Work Research
SWSS 6160: Integrative Applications of Transformative Social Work
SWSS 6990: Constructing Global Social Work
SWSS 6990: Psychedelics and Transformation
Publications
Awards and Achievements
University Psychedelic Education Program (U-PEP) Faculty Fellow, Psychedelic Education Partnership, 2026-2028
Gerontological Society of America Fellow Status (FGSA), 2024
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania, 2021-2022
Bio
Dr. Kelly Melekis has been teaching courses on social work practice, research methods, and death, dying and bereavement for over 20 years. Prior to coming to the University of Vermont, she practiced as a clinical social worker in geriatric mental health and substance use, and taught social work practice, policy and research at Boston University, University of Hawaii, and Skidmore College. A U.S. Fulbright Scholar, she explored cultural variations in end-of-life care at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania.
As a gerontological social worker, Dr. Melekis’s scholarship focuses on 1) the health and well-being of older adults, particularly in terms of homelessness, housing, and social environment, and 2) the education and training of social workers, especially in terms of interprofessional practice in health and aging. She conducts primarily community-based research, with an emphasis on collaborative, participatory methods and her work contributes to improved policy, program development, and effective interprofessional practice. Dr. Melekis's research has been published in a range of interdisciplinary journals, including the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Aging and Mental Health, The Sociological Review, and the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice. She serves as a reviewer for several journals, including the International Journal of Housing Policy, Academic Medicine, and The British Journal of Social Work. Presenting her work reguarly at national and international venues, she has given invited talks in Finland, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, and Japan. She is also an organizer of the International Summer School in Social Work at the University of Lapland, Finland.
In addition to precious time singing, dancing and laughing with her two daughters and cooking yummy vegetarian food with her husband Mark (UVM MSW ‘14), she loves traveling, reading memoirs, live music, the original Star Trek series, and maple lattes.
Courses
SWSS 6140: Transformative Social Work I
SWSS 6150: Transformative Social Work II
SWSS 6270: Advanced Social Work Research
SWSS 6160: Integrative Applications of Transformative Social Work
SWSS 6990: Constructing Global Social Work
SWSS 6990: Psychedelics and Transformation
Publications
Awards and Achievements
University Psychedelic Education Program (U-PEP) Faculty Fellow, Psychedelic Education Partnership, 2026-2028
Gerontological Society of America Fellow Status (FGSA), 2024
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania, 2021-2022