Melody Schiaffino

Melody Schiaffino founded and chartered Ph.D. Moms in the fall of 2011 at the University of Florida. Ph.D. Moms aims to provide support to student-parents as they balance school and family. As a doctoral student and mother, Schuaffino found a need to ensure that student-parents knew they were not alone, given the challenges they face are unique. Initially the organization targeted female doctoral student-parents as this group was at greatest risk of attrition. However, due to overwhelming demand and diversity, the outreach and awareness efforts of Ph.D. Moms has grown and now covers undergraduate, graduate, medical, dental, and nursing student-parents.