Melissa Troncoso PhD, FNP-C, CHWC

Education

2021—PhD in Nursing Science—Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
2009—Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner—Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
2002—Bachelor of Science in Nursing—University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Biography

CAPT Melissa R. Troncoso is the Phase 2 Site Director for the Family Nurse Practitioner and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Portsmouth. In addition to her formal position, she is the Navy Nursing Research Specialty Leader and Co-Chair of the DoD Military Nutrition Environment Working Group. Her research explores how social, environmental, and cultural factors influence service members’ eating behaviors and aims to promote healthy eating and weight management behaviors in the military. She is passionate about leveraging interdisciplinary collaboration for positive and lasting change in the Military Health System and DoD.

Throughout her career, CAPT Troncoso has served in various clinical and leadership positions. She graduated with Distinguished Honors in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program at USU in May 2009 and served as an FNP at Naval Hospital Jacksonville from 2009-2012. CAPT Troncoso deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan in 2010 as the Officer in Charge of the Cooperative Medical Assistance Team, a joint operation responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing medical, veterinary, and entomology humanitarian civil-military operations across a Combined Joint area of Afghanistan.

From 2012 to 2013, Captain Troncoso served as the Department Head of the Marine Corps Air Station Branch Health Clinic in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she expertly managed care delivery for 2,800 Marines. Filling a critical gap at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, she served as a lead clinician, providing care to Marine recruits, Marines, and Sailors from July 2013 to June 2015.

CAPT Troncoso served as the Navy NC Administrative Fellow at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, where she led strategic communication efforts, staffed Flag-level projects, and supported NC leadership from 2015 to 2018. She received her Ph.D. in Nursing Science from USU in 2021 and was named a Jonas-Geneva Nursing and Veterans Healthcare Scholar. Following graduation, CAPT Troncoso served as the Department Head for Nursing Research and Consultation Services at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC). She managed programs of operational readiness research and mentored staff and students in developing and conducting research and evidence-based practice projects.

CAPT Troncoso is a highly accomplished Navy NC officer, a dynamic mentor, and an advocate committed to building a healthier nation, beginning at home with her family. Her awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2), and the Army Achievement Medal.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

2023-Present: Nursing Research Specialty Leader

2022: Federal Nursing Service Chief Award

2018: Jonas-Geneva Nursing and Veterans Healthcare Scholar

2010: Officer in Charge—Cooperative Medical Assistance Team (TF 30th MED/TF 62nd MED

2009: Family Nurse Practitioner Distinguished Academic Performance Award

Representative Bibliography

Troncoso, M., Wilson, C., Scott, J., & Deuster, P. (2024). US Navy Sailors Modify Their Eating Behaviors to Pass Cyclic Physical Readiness Tests. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 56(9), 611-621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2024.05.232

D’Adamo, C., Troncoso, M., Piedrahita, G., Messing, J., & Scott, J. (2024). Spices and Herbs Increase Vegetable Palatability Among Military Service Members. Advance online publication. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae367

Troncoso, M., Wilson, C., Scott, J., & Deuster, P. (2023). Exploring Influences of Eating Behaviors Among Emerging Adults in the Military. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 55(5), 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2023.02.004

Farmer, N., Powell-Wiley, T. M., Middleton, K. R., Brooks, A. T., Mitchell, V., Troncoso, M., Ceasar, J., Claudel, S. E., Andrews, M. R., Kazmi, N., Johnson, A., & Wallen, G. R. (2022). Use of a focus group-based cognitive interview methodology to validate a cooking behavior survey among African-American adults. Frontiers in Nutrition, 5;9, 1000258. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1000258

Troncoso, M., Jayne, J., Robinson, D., & Deuster, P. (2021). Targeting Nutritional Fitness by Creating a Culture of Health in the Military. Military Medicine, 186(1-3), 83-86. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa325

Ceasar, J., Claudel, S., Andrews, M., Tamura, K., Mitchell, V., Brooks, A., Dodge, T., El-Toukhy, S., Farmer, N., Middleton, K., Sabado-Liwag, M., Troncoso, M., Wallen, G., & Powell-Wiley, T. (2019). Community Engagement in the Development of an mHealth-Enabled Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Intervention (Step It Up): Pilot Focus Group Study. JMIR Formative Research, 3(1), e10944. https://doi.org/10.2196/10944