• B.A., (Psychology) University of Hartford
• M.A., (General Psychology) University of Hartford
• Ph.D. (Sociobehavioral Epidemiology & Quantitative Psychology) Utah State University
• Midwest Regional Eating Disorders Research (T32) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School
• Health Equity Leadership and Mentoring Fellowship, University of Minnesota Medical School
• Transition to Independence (K99) Fellowship, University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Dr. Melissa Simone is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado Denver within the Department of Psychology where they are involved in research, teaching, and mentoring. Dr. Simone has an active NIMHD-funded research lab that involves community members, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Their program of research focuses on: 1) eating disorder prevention among queer and trans young people from a social justice and socioecological framework; 2) community-engaged research and resource co-creation to address health disparities; 3) the development of more equitable psychology assessments and scales; and 4) data integrity and bot detection in online research.

PUBLISHED/IN PRESS (* = denotes a mentored author)

1. Simone, M., Cascalheira, C.J., & Pierce, B.G. (in press). A quasi-experimental study examining the efficacy of multimodal bot screening tools and recommendations to preserve data integrity in online psychological research. American Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001183
2. Simone, M., *Askew, A.J., Beccia, A.L., Cusack, C.E., & Pisetsky, E.M. (2023). “Let the Ladies Know:” Queer Women’s Perceptions of How Gender and Sexual Orientation Shape Their Eating and Weight Concerns. Culture, Health and Sexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2023.2189931. PMID: 37000045
3. Slaughter-Acey, J., Simone, M., Hazzard, V.M., Arlinghaus, K., & Neumark-Szatainer, D. (2023). More than Identity: An intersectional approach to understanding mental-emotional well-being of emerging adults by centering lived experiences of marginalization. American Journal of Epidemiology. First published online: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwad152
4. Tebbe, E.A., Simone, M., Greene, M.Z. (2023). Body image, interoceptive awareness, depression and eating disorder symptoms: Within-group variability among sexual minority women. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 32(4), 1148-1159 http://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13156
5. Berge. J., Simone, M., Eisenberg, M.E., Loth, K., Sherwood, N.E., Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2023). Can we Talk?: An Exploratory Examination of Communication Patterns Between Emerging Adults and their Parents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32, 1571-1582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02563-7
6. Burke, N.L., Hazzard, V.M., Schaefer, L.M., Simone, M., O’Flynn, J. & Rodgers, R.F. (2023). Socioeconomic status and eating disorder prevalence: at the intersections of gender identity, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity. Psychological Medicine, 53(9), 4255-4265. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722001015 PMID: 35574702.
7. Xu, Y., Pace, S., Kim, J., Iachini, A., King, L.B., Harrison, T.M., DeHart, D., Levkoff, S.E., Browne, T.A., Lewis, A.A., Kunz, G.M., Reitmeier, M., Utter, K., & Simone, M. (2022). Threats to online surveys: Recognizing, detecting, and preventing survey bots. Social Work Research, 46(4), 343-350. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svac023 NIHMSID: NIHMS1888216
8. Simone, M., Slaughter-Acey, J., Hazzard, V.M., Eisenberg, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2022). Exploring the intersection of multiple social determinants of health and disordered eating behaviors in a population-based sample in the United States. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 55(11), 1589-1602. https://doi.org/10.1002/EAT.23795 PMCID: PMC9633979
9. Tebbe, E.A., Simone, M., Wilson, E., & Hunsicker, M. (2022). A dangerous visibility: Moderating effects of anti-trans legislative efforts on trans and gender diverse mental health. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 9(3), 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000481 PMCID: PMC9518927
10. Simone, M., Hazzard, V., Askew, A., Tebbe, E.A., Lipson, S.K., & Pisetsky, E.M. (2022). Variability in eating disorder symptomology and diagnosis in transgender and gender diverse college students. Annals of Epidemiology, 70, 53-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.04.007. PMCID: PMC9167734
11. Simone, M., Loth, K., Peterson, C.B., Berge, J.M., Eisenberg, M.E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2022). Social isolation in a population-based sample of young adults: Who is on their own? Emerging Adulthood, 10(5), 1247-1255. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211021677. PMCID: PMC9469878
12. Simone, M., Telke, S., Anderson, L., Eisenberg, M.E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2022). Ethnic/Racial and gender differences in disordered eating behavior prevalence trajectories among women and men from adolescence into young adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 294, 114720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114720. PMCID: PMC8821169
13. Simone, M. (2022). Balancing data integrity concerns with ethical considerations in online research. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 55(2), 290-291. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23674. PMCID: PMC8825699
14. Simone, M., Pisetsky, E.M., & Lust, K. (2021) Weight discrimination inflates psychological health risk and academic impairment in sexual minority cisgender college students relative to their heterosexual peers. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 29(6), 685-695. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2020.1763111. PMCID: PMC7704545
15. Simone, M., Emery, R.L., Hazzard, V.M., Eisenberg, M., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Disordered eating in a population-based sample of young adults during the COVID-19 outbreak. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(7), 1189-1201. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23505. PMCID: PMC8250323
16. *Ziobrowski, H.N., Buka, S.L., Austin, S.B., Duncan, A.E., Simone, M., Sullivan, A.J., Horton, N.J., & Field, A.E. (2021). Child and adolescent maltreatment patterns and risk of eating disorder behaviors developing in young adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 120(11), 105225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105225. PMCID: PMC8493560
17. Donahue, J.M., Simone, M., Scharmer, C., Anderson, L., & Anderson, D. (2021). Differential item functioning analysis for the eating disorder examination questionnaire among heterosexual and sexual minority men. Eating and Weight Disorders, 26(6), 2071-2076. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01035-x. PMCID: PMC8021598
18. Hazzard, V.M., Simone, M., Austin, S.B., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Diet pill, laxative, and diuretic use for weight control predicts incident eating disorder diagnosis among female adolescents and young adults.  International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54, (7), 1289-1294. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23531. PMCID: PMC8273146
19. Emery, R.L., Johnson, S., Simone, M., Loth, K., Berge, J., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress, mood, and substance use among young adults in greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area: findings from Project EAT. Social Science & Medicine, 276, 113826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113826. PMCID: PMC8058317
20. Rodgers, R.F., Simone, M., Franko, D.L., Eisenberg, M., Loth, K., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). The longitudinal relationship between family and peer teasing in young adulthood and later unhealthy weight control behaviors: The mediating role of body image. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(5), 831-840. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23492. PMCID: PMC8119351
21. Lessard, L.M., Puhl, R.M., Larson, N., Simone, M., Eisenberg, M.E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Parental contributors to the prevalence and long-term health risks of family weight teasing in adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69, 74-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.09.034 PMCID: PMC8076340
22. Hazzard, V.M., Telke, S.E., Simone, M., Anderson, L.M., Larson, N.I., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Intuitive eating longitudinally predicts better psychological health and lower use of disordered eating behaviors: Findings from EAT 2010-2018. Eating and Weight Disorders, 26, 287-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-00852-4 PMCID: PMC7392799
23. Simone, M., Donahue, J.M., Anderson, L.M., & Anderson, D. (2021). Sexual orientation-based differential item functioning in measures of body ideals and sociocultural pressures among men. Psychology of Men and Masculinities, 22(1), 1-6 https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000273 PMCID: PMC7943039
24. Simone, M., Hazzard, V.M., Berge, J.M., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Associations between weight talk exposure and unhealthy weight control behaviors among young adults: A person-centered approach to examining how much the source and type of weight talk matters. Body Image, 36, 5-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.10.004 PMCID: PMC7987583
25. Simone, M., *Askew, A., Lust, K., Eisenberg, M.E., & Pisetsky, E.M. (2020). Disparities in self-reported eating disorders and academic impairment in sexual and gender minority college students relevant to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(4), 513-524. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23226. PMCID: PMC7156314
26. Hazzard, V.M., Simone, M., Borg, S.L., Borton, K.A., Sonneville, K.R., Calzo, J.O., & Lipson, S.K. (2020) Disparities in eating disorder risk and diagnosis among sexual minority college students: Findings from the national Healthy Minds Study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(9), 1563-1568. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23304 PMCID: PMC7487157
27. Yoon, C., Simone, M., Mason, S.M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2020). A single summative global scale of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors: Findings from Project EAT, a 15-year longitudinal population-based study. Eating Behaviors, 39, 101418 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2020.101418 PMCID: PMC7487157
28. Zickgraf, H., Hazzard, V., O’Connor, S., Simone, M., Williams-Kerver, G., Anderson, L., & Lipson, S. (2020). Examining vegetarianism, weight motivations, and eating disorder psychopathology among college students. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(9), 1506-1514. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23335 PMCID: PMC7745711
29. *Ziobrowski, H.N., Buka, S.L, Sullivan, A.J. Austin, S.B., Horton, N.J., Simone, M., & Field, A.E. (2020). Using latent class analysis to empirically classify child maltreatment according to the developmental timing and co-occurrence of abuse types. Child Abuse and Neglect, 107, 104574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104574 PMCID: PMC7494521
30. Simone, M., Geiser, C., & Lockhart, G. (2020). Development and validation of the multicontextual interpersonal relations scale (MIRS). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 36, 84-95. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000497
31. Simone, A.M., Simone, M., Block, L., & LaVine, N. (2020). Contract negotiation skills: a workshop for women in medicine. MedEdPORTAL, 16, 10910. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10910 PMCID: PMC7331958
32. Simone, M., Hooper, L., Eisenberg, M.E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2019). Unhealthy weight control behaviors and substance use among adolescent girls: the harms of weight stigma. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 233, 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.05.047 PMCID: PMC6635025
33. Simone, M., Scodes, J., Mason, T., Loth, K., Wall, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2019). Shared and non-shared risk and protective factors of binge eating and binge drinking from adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Health Psychology. First published online: https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105319844588. PMCID: PMC6813845
34. Schaefer, L.M., Anderson, L.M., Simone, M., O’Connor, S.M., Zickgraf, H., Anderson, D., Rodgers, R., & Thompson, J. (2019). Gender-based differential item functioning in measures of eating pathology. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 52, 147-151 https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23126 PMCID: PMC6815513
35. Simone, M., & Lockhart, G. (2019). Empirical sample size guidelines for use of latent difference score mediation. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 26(4), 636-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2018.1540934 PMCID: PMC6615565
36. Simone, M., Geiser, C., & Lockhart, G. (2019). The importance of face-to-face contact and reciprocal relationships and their association with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Quality of Life Research, 28(11), 2909-2917 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02232-7 PMCID: PMC6810742
37. Matacin, M., & Simone, M. (2019). Advocating for fat activism in a therapeutic context. Women and Therapy, 42(1-2), 200-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2018.1524071 PMCID: PMC6510538. Received: Distinguished Publication Award from the Association of Women in Psychology.
38. Simone, M., Long, E., & Lockhart, G. (2018). The dynamic relationship between unhealthy weight control and adolescent friendships: a social network approach. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(4), 1373-1384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0796-z.
39. Simone, M., & Lockhart, G. (2016). Two distinct mediated paths to disordered eating in response to weight stigmatization and their application to prevention programs. Journal of American College Health, 64(7), 520-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2016.1188106
40. Bluett, E., Lee, E., Simone, M., Lockhart, G., Lensegrav-Bensen, T., Quakenbush-Roberts, B., & Twohig, M.P. (2016). The role of body image flexibility on the treatment of eating disorders in a residential facility. Eating Behaviors, 23, 150-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2016.10.002.

• Introduction to Psychology II
• Introduction to Media Psychology
• Psychology of Cultural Diversity