Michelle Antolos, PhD
Senior Researcher
Michelle Antolos is a senior researcher for the Center of Research at WebMD Health Services, where she conducts research on well-being program efficacy and collaborates with team members to provide guidance and training on custom analytics for delivery to clients and internal stakeholders. Michelle is currently leading research on the effects of program participation on health risk change, and has led projects to evaluate outcomes related to specialty coaching programs, financial impact of program participation, and adherence to clinical measures using a combination of self-reported and professionally sourced data, as well as medical and pharmacy claims.
Michelle is passionate about research and has conducted novel analyses in a diversity of fields. She received her BA in Individualized Studies at New York University in 1999, her MS in Wildlife Science at Oregon State University in 2003, and her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2009. She has published 24 peer-reviewed articles, 8 of which she was primary author, and received numerous prestigious research grants and fellowships, including a Fulbright grant to France to conduct primary research in 2006.
Michelle developed her skills in programming and advanced statistics during her graduate work, where she wrote custom algorithms to process large data sets and combine disparate data sources to extract insights using a variety of statistical methods and visualization techniques. She values the importance of the dissemination of research and has worked as an undergraduate instructor, as well as delivered a variety of professional presentations, whether at international conferences, meetings of governmental and tribal agencies, non-profit interest group gatherings, or elementary school classrooms.
Michelle resides in Portland, Oregon and relishes time outdoors, going for long walks with her dog Shayder, traveling to new locales, and a number of creative pursuits. She helps coordinate volunteer activities at WebMD Health Services and incorporates her love of craft by making knitted items to donate to those in need.