Melissa is the Trust Lead for SSI Surveillance, Research and Innovation at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. She is on a number of national and international committees for surgical wound healing, surgical site infection (SSI) prevention, and the use of digital wound images in wound care.

A nurse by background, Melissa has focused on prioritising the safety and experience of patients and carers across the surgical wound pathway. She has created a series of videos for patients and carers on surgical wound healing and wound infection prevention (endorsed by NICE, 2019), invented a patented surgical bra to aid healing following cardiac surgery, and developed an award-winning approach for improved information between acute and community care (‘Photo at Discharge’). Her current project includes national research projects, including the WISDOM study with Isla Care Ltd, developing and clinically evaluating how artificial intelligence can assist surgical wound monitoring. Melissa is an (unpaid) clinical advisor for Isla.