Feature Stories 2024: Nursing PhD Alumni Series: Dr. Melissa Desroches, PhD, RN, CNE

Dr. Melissa Desroches, a 2019 graduate of UMass Dartmouth’s Nursing BS-PhD program, is the first student to graduate from this program track. She also received her MS in nursing education in 2017 and BS in nursing in 2006 from UMass Dartmouth’s College of Nursing & Health Sciences (CNHS), where she now serves as assistant professor in the Community Nursing Department. 

Selecting a BS-PhD program 

As an undergraduate at UMass Dartmouth, Desroches’s faculty mentors encouraged her to attend graduate school. After entering nursing practice, Desroches saw the contributions she could make to the field. “I knew that I wanted to make changes in the system early on,” she said. 

The decision to return to UMass Dartmouth for graduate school was an easy one. "I had a great experience with faculty who really pushed scholarship and sparked interest in research," Desroches said. She ultimately made the decision to enroll in the BS-PhD program as she “realized that my focus was more in line with knowledge discovery, and changing the system in terms of acquiring new knowledge.” 

In the BS-PhD program track, students complete graduate-level coursework and a practicum experience to receive their MS in nursing education and then continue with the PhD coursework. Desroches noted, “It was desirable to me that the BS-PhD program offers the master’s degree option as you progress through the program.” With this, Desroches was able to teach while she was still a PhD student, gaining valuable experience that would help her when applying for future faculty positions upon graduation. 

Professional opportunities and educational advancement 

Since graduating, Desroches engaged in many opportunities to take the lead in new roles, contribute significantly to her program of research, and further advance her education. 

Having earned a master's degree in nursing education through the BS-PhD program, Desroches now serves on the undergraduate nursing curriculum committee at UMassD. She is currently leading the undergraduate team in a major curriculum revision to align the program with the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials core nursing competencies.  

Research and expertise

Desroches’s research focuses on reducing health inequities experienced by individuals with developmental disabilities, and building capacity in the nursing and direct support professional workforce to support this population. She has significantly advanced education, research, and policy within this specialty.  

Given her expertise on this topic and her PhD preparation, Desroches had many unique opportunities to further contribute to this area. She was contracted by the United States Department of Justice to serve as a nurse expert witness. She has also served as a subject matter expert for continuing education materials, served as a board member or advisory council member for several community and national organizations, and has fulfilled many speaking engagements. In reflecting on her expertise and the impact she had in these areas, she noted "it’s nice to be able to share that [expertise] with a wider group of people." 

Desroches has also earned several fellowships throughout her career. At the beginning of her BS-PhD program in 2014, she was awarded the Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship through UMass Dartmouth to pursue her studies. In 2017, she was awarded the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship through the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Medical School. “My research is uniquely focused on a specific population. It was important to me, kind of right off the bat, to get some more understanding of the needs of that population." Dr. Desroches noted how this fellowship provided her with the content expertise needed in her area of research, while also earning a graduate certificate in Disability and Health Policy from Suffolk University. 

Upon graduation, Desroches was awarded a TL1 post-doctoral fellowship through Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute. She noted how the interprofessional nature of the program allowed her to learn from the other fellows, in addition to strengthening her grant-writing skills. After joining the faculty at UMass Dartmouth, Desroches was awarded the Golisano Institute of Developmental Disabilities Nursing Fellowship through St. John Fisher College, and most recently a fellowship through the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Building for Scale Scholars Program. During this fellowship, she noted, "I participated in customer discovery, user-centered design, all different components that you would use to build an intervention and ensure its sustained scalability." 

Dr. Desroches encouraged students to look for opportunities like these. "There’s funding out there, sometimes it’s just a matter of finding it," she said. 

Recommendations and final thoughts 

Desroches encouraged those early in their nursing careers to pursue their PhD if they are considering it. "The PhD adds that scientist piece, and it doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been in clinical practice, the PhD is what gives you the scientist skill set." She also noted many students continue to gain clinical work experience while completing their graduate studies. To facilitate the transition into graduate school, Desroches noted the importance of finding mentors you have synergy with, who inspire you, and encourage your success. 

This story was written by Danielle DeGonge, a PhD student in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. 

"I had a great experience with faculty who really pushed scholarship and sparked interest in research."