Melanie Hawkins joined Public Health Innovation (PHI) at Deakin University in 2009. She completed her Master of Public Health (Health Program Evaluation) at The University of Melbourne in 2004. As a researcher at The University of Melbourne (2005–2009) under the supervision of Professor Osborne, Melanie contributed to several projects, and managed implementation and evaluation projects such as the pilot phase of the Victorian Orthopaedic Waiting List (OWL) reform initiative (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/oahks/) and language translation projects (Multi-Attribute Prioritisation Tool, MAPT). She was also involved with the development of the MAPT and the heiQ (www.heiq.org.au). Melanie has worked at PHI since 2009 and has concentrated on developing her project management and qualitative evaluation skills. As well as managing the evaluation of development and implementation projects (e.g., a self-management program by Hepatitis C Victoria for people with hepatitis C, and http://www.makingsenseofmsresearch.org.au/), she contributed to the validation of the items of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/658) through conducting cognitive interviews and contributing to the analysis of the interview data. Melanie has also conducted interviews for other PHI projects where qualitative evaluation is required to further explore the meaning of quantitative data. In 2012, Melanie won an internal Deakin University grant to examine the HLQ scores at the point of patient-clinician interaction, specifically in patients with low health literacy. This study involved interviews with patients and their clinicians to explore differences in perceptions of health literacy and how this may be clinically useful (paper in progress). Melanie is part of the team that developed OPtimising HEalth LIterAcy (Ophelia) Victoria and is involved in the ongoing qualitative aspects of the project.