Melissa Cooke is a dedicated Speech Language Pathologist and researcher with a decade of experience specializing in head and neck cancer, dysphagia, and voice. She is excited to join the Head & Neck Cancer Alliance team as a Patient Resource Navigator. Most recently, she was a Program Manager for an R01-funded study on head and neck cancer survivorship and an outpatient and acute SLP serving the head and neck cancer patient population across the care continuum at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is a frequent lecturer at national and state-level conferences and has taught at the College of Health Professions at MUSC. She is also an independent researcher in dysphagia for The Dysphagia Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Cincinnati and Swallowing Cross-Systems Collaborative at Northwestern University.
She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband and two amazing children and finds great joy in balancing her career with her family life. She proudly serves as the board president for her neighborhood swim team, overseeing operations and fostering teamwork and athleticism among kids ages 4-15.
Her mother-in-law’s battle with oral cancer inspired her to transition from a career in singing to speech pathology, aiming to contribute to the head and neck cancer community. She earned her Master’s degree at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA. Her unwavering commitment to cancer survivors and their caregivers drives her to provide comprehensive support, helping patients regain daily function and improve their quality of life. Her holistic approach ensures that both patients and their families receive the emotional and practical assistance they need throughout the recovery journey.
