Professional Profile
Ms. Melissa Vincent is a Supervising Scientist in ToxStrategies’ Health Sciences practice. She has 18 years of applied experience in human health risk assessment and has demonstrated proficiency in the use and application of epidemiology, toxicology, and biostatistics in support of evidence integration and quantitative dose-response assessments. This includes evaluation of cancer and non-cancer health outcomes associated with pesticides, phthalates, food flavorings and additives, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, water contaminants (including arsenic, nitrite, and nitrate, chloroform, and PFAS), oil- and gas-related exposures, metals (including nickel, hexavalent chromium, vanadium, and cobalt), and other environmental exposures (including ethylene oxide, formaldehyde). Ms. Vincent’s expertise in epidemiological analysis supports current practices of cumulative impact assessment and considerations of chemical and non-chemical stressors and social determinants of health in risk characterization.
Ms. Vincent has expertise in statistical analysis of epidemiological and toxicological data, particularly in the use and application of regression modeling, including benchmark dose modeling and meta-regression analysis, to evaluate dose-response relationships and derive points of departure, including effective concentrations, for chemical risk assessments. Ms. Vincent has experience with application of USEPA guidance for benchmark dose modeling and has taught many professional continuing education courses regarding the application of these techniques for cancer and noncancer risk assessments. She also incorporates qualitative and quantitative uncertainties in dose and response, and the impact of those uncertainties on quantitative risk assessments through application of probabilistic and Bayesian analysis, bias adjustments, and/or sensitivity analyses.
In her practice, Ms. Vincent utilizes systematic review and risk assessment frameworks for critically evaluating epidemiological evidence for integration with toxicological hazard and mode of action information. This includes formal application of critical appraisal, qualitative and quantitative bias assessment, and evidence synthesis, including use of meta-analysis, triangulation, and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation)-based frameworks with an emphasis on biological plausibility.