Consultant Paediatrician Melissa Wake's research focus is on population paediatrics: what universal, primary and secondary care systems are needed to make a difference to children's health and development? Her research interests span the common conditions of childhood and the antecedents of adult diseases of ageing. She has conducted numerous randomised trials in the areas of obesity, blood pressure, language, literacy, working memory, hearing, sleep and mental health. She was instrumental in achieving the Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program, now reaching over 99% of all newborns every year and underpinning the MCRI's expanding program of population-based and clinical hearing research. Health Design Leader for the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children since its inception, she currently leads its intergenerational physical health and biorepository (the Child Health CheckPoint), which is housed at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. Awards include the 2009 Australian Health Minister's Prize for Excellence in Health & Medical Research and consecutive NHMRC Excellence Awards (2009-12, 2013-16) as top-ranked Research Fellow in Australia. Projects she led have twice appeared in the NHMRC's annual 'Ten of the Best' publication (2008, 2017).

Pediatrics and Population Health