Dr. Melissa Lehan Mackin is a tenured Associate Professor with a program of research in the areas of sexual and reproductive health of vulnerable populations. Her research seeks to: 1) gain a better understanding of the barriers to sexual and reproductive health; 2) develop and test targeted sex ed interventions for youth and adults with developmental disability; and, 3) to better understand immigrant experiences of health and health care. Dr. Lehan Mackin has used qualitative and mixed methods research to examine access of emergency contraception in Iowa, parent perceptions of the sex education needs for their children with autism, and the understanding of sexual consent in community dwelling adults with intellectual disability. Dr. Lehan Mackin has developed a measure of comprehensive measure of sexual health knowledge (The Test of Adolescent Sexual Knowledge) for use in general youth and youth with mild-moderate developmental disability. She is current using community participatory research methods to explore immigrant women’s experiences with reproductive health care. 

Dr. Lehan Mackin joined the University of Iowa College of Nursing faculty in 2011 after receiving her Bachelor of Science, Masters, and PhD from the University of Iowa. Her clinical background includes home health nursing, residential care for persons with developmental disabilities, and more than 10 years of experience in acute, post-surgical care with gynecology oncology, benign gynecology, and thoracic oncology patient populations. 

Curriculum Vitae