Melissa Motta, MD, MPH

Dr. Motta works as an intensivist in the Neurocritical Care Unit. She cares for patients with neurosurgical, cerebrovascular and other acute neurologic illnesses. She has particular interest in gaining a deeper understanding of the outcomes of practices and interventions related to quality of life and other self-reported measures essential to patients.

Dr. Motta is interested in learning from patients and their outcomes to improve care. For example, she established an institutional collaboration to discuss best practices and enhance patient- and family-centered care in the ICU. In addition, she led the implementation of evidence-based patient and family engagement strategies at University of Maryland Medical Center across all ICUs as part of the Society of Critical Care Medicine Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Collaborative. She is passionate about promoting patient- and family-centered care in patients with neurological injuries.

Dr. Motta serves as director for the neurology clerkship at University of Maryland School of Medicine. She has developed curricula in medical education, ethics, and humanism in neurology. In addition, she developed a Neuro Recovery Clinic (NRC) where she cares for patients after discharge from the Neurocritical Care Unit. The NRC helps patients and families navigate the physical, emotional and psychological recovery after critical illness by utilizing multidisciplinary, guideline-driven care to help patients recover to their fullest potential and achieve well-being.

Dr. Motta attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, before receiving her medical and Master of Public Health degrees from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Public Health in Washington, D.C. She completed an internal medicine internship and a neurology residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She also completed a two-year fellowship in neurocritical care. During her training, she received a certificate in clinical investigation from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In addition, she received a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R25 Research Education Grant to evaluate barriers to medication adherence after acute ischemic stroke.