Melissa Pfaff, MPH, is a director at Leavitt Partners and provides policy and strategic guidance to clients on a range of public health issues and the federal authorizing, budget, and appropriations processes. Her work focuses on a public health preparedness and response, mental health and substance use disorders, biomedical research, and other issues of public health importance. Melissa has more than 15 years of experience in the United States Senate, including as senior health policy advisor on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. During her nearly 12 years on the HELP Committee, she worked with bipartisan member staff, agencies at the Department of Health and Human Services, and stakeholders on numerous legislative initiatives related to public health, including legislation to strengthen U.S. public health and medical preparedness and response. Prior to her time on the HELP Committee, Melissa worked as a data manager and statistical analyst for global health projects, and in Senator Judd Gregg's personal office and as a professional staff member on the Senate Budget Committee. She received a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from the George Washington University and a master of public health degree from Boston University School of Public Health.