I hold a medical degree from the University of Malawi and MSc in Global Health Delivery from Harvard University. As a Lecturer, I taught postgraduate courses in Quality Improvement and Implementation Science and sat on technical working groups on Quality Management and NCDs.
In 2016 joined the College of Medicine, University of Malawi, where I successfully led the curriculum development and implementation of a Master of Science in Global Health Implementation. I also established a Palliative care clinic, which takes care of patients and families suffering from terminal illnesses. During my time at PIH, I worked with the clinical team to design and implement an integrated chronic care clinic, a unique model, which leverages on a robust HIV program as a platform for NCD screening and treatment. I worked with the Malawi Ministry of Health for two years before joining Partners in Health (PIH), where I served as a Medical Director for Neno District. Thank you to the UW Health Promotion and Health Equity program – Ms.Q: Please tell us a little bit about yourselfĪ: I am a general physician and with experience in clinical work, health programs implementation, teaching and research. I am very excited for what the future holds and extremely grateful for the experience working with the UW CRO and CCHE and my amazing mentors! I have accepted an opportunity to start with The Kinetix Group immediately and will continue with them after my graduation in May. Through my experience in this Internship, I have decided to pursue a career in Healthcare Consulting. Having an active role in understanding and addressing the challenges observed has been invaluable to my personal growth and has guided me to my next endeavor. I have utilized the skills and theories I have learned in the classroom and had my thinking challenged in a real-world setting. In my time working with the CRO and CCHE I have gotten practical experience applying a critical eye to the process of building a program around patients for a future of more equitable healthcare.
With the guidance of my insightful and encouraging mentors - Betsy Nugent, Sarah Esmond, Rochelle Rannow, and Kevin Kiley - I have had an amazing experience learning about the world of clinical research. After switching into the Health Promotion and Health Equity major my Junior year, I was met with a lot of uncertainty in which direction I would take my studies and beyond. My time working as the Health Promotion Clinical Research Intern for the UW CRO has been a highlight of my four years here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Buckmelter is now working with the CRO Director of Communications, Kevin Kiley, to ensure perspectives of patients and professionals inform clinical research operations and messaging from the CRO. She synthesized these conversations for sharing with 11 UW Health Patient Family Advocates who offered terrific feedback about her findings as well as shared their personal experiences with clinical research activities at UW. Vanessa Buckmelter co-created her Internship in Summer 2021, launching a fieldwork experience speaking with 8 clinical research professionals about their roles and what patient-centered research practice looks like. It’s been a distinct pleasure to partner with the UW Clinical Research Office to sponsor an inaugural Health Promotion Clinical Research Intern!