Darlene Yee-Melichar


Darlene Yee-Melichar is professor and coordinator of the gerontology program at San Francisco State University where she also serves as Director of Long-Term Care Administration. She is a member on both the SF State and CSU Academic Senates.

Early career

Yee-Melichar was born in 1958 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Barnard College. She received a master's degree in gerontology from the College of New Rochelle and a second master's degree in health education from Teachers College of Columbia University. Yee-Melichar received a doctoral degree in Health Education and post-doctoral training in Computer Management Systems from Teachers College of Columbia University. She augmented her academic training as a Certified Health Education Specialist.
Yee-Melichar worked as an assistant professor of Health Education and Gerontology at York College, CUNY from August 1985 to July 1988. She became an associate professor of Health Promotion and Gerontology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston from August 1988 to July 1990. As of August 1990, Yee-Melichar works as a full professor of Gerontology at San Francisco State University.

Scholarship

Yee-Melichar is recognized as an international authority on two areas of specialization in gerontology: healthy aging, and long-term care administration.
Her scholarship focuses on these two important areas of expertise. Yee-Melichar’s research interests in healthy aging, long-term care administration, minority women’s health, and safety research and education are reflected in 4 books, 107 journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, technical reports, and numerous professional and scholarly presentations. She is a Charter Fellow of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Fellow of the AAHPERD Research Consortium, and Full Member of Sigma Xi, the national research society.

Gerontologist and long-term care advocate

Yee-Melichar was active on the NIH Advisory Committee for Research on Women's Health, NIH Review Committee for Research Enhancement Awards Program, and AHRQ special emphasis panels on "Translating Research into Practice" and "Health Research Dissemination."
She chaired the U.S. DHHS-OWH Minority Women’s Health Panel of Experts; contributed to the U.S. DHHS-Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education, and U.S. DHHS-OWH Region IX Women’s Health Advisory Council; and is active on the OMH-NPA Regional Health Equity Council for Region IX, and IAGG 2017 World Congress on Gerontology Local Arrangements Committee
Yee-Melichar has served on the Editorial Boards of numerous journals including the Journal of Gerontological Social Work and Journal of Health Education; and serves on the Board of Directors for the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform and as President of SF State’s Chapter of Sigma Xi, the national research society.

Publications

In addition to 107 journal articles, book chapters, book reviews and technical reports, Yee-Melichar co-authored and co-edited four textbooks:
Yee-Melichar is the recipient of many awards and honors for teaching excellence and service contributions to the campus, community, and profession.