Melanie has contributed to the development, evaluation, training, and implementation of internationally used tools and methodologies, including the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ), Conversational Health Literacy Tool (CHAT), and the Optimising Health Literacy and Access (Ophelia) process. She is an author on the Ophelia Manual (2021) and contributed to the World Health Organization’s 2022 report, Health Literacy Development for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, which is recognised as a Global Public Health Good. Melanie leads and supports Ophelia masterclasses internationally. 

As a member of the leadership team for Work Package 6 (Health Literacy and Awareness) in the European Joint Action on Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes (JACARDI), Melanie co-leads training and guidance on intervention co-design for teams across 13 European countries and led the design of the WP6 evaluation framework. She is an Associate Editor for Quality of Life Research (2024-2027) and an active contributor to the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) and its Australian and New Zealand Special Interest Group (ANZ SIG). She supervises several PhD scholars examining the role of health literacy, co-design, and contextually responsive intervention development in advancing health equity and improving outcomes for diverse communities. 

Melanie's research is grounded in the principle that context matters. She focuses on ensuring that data are interpreted appropriately for purpose and context, drawing on lived experience, cultural knowledge, and meaningful community engagement to support equitable and sustainable health improvements.