Melissa Marie Dixon
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Melissa Marie Dixon, PhD, MS

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

Eccles Primary Children's Outpatient Services Building

Pediatric Behavioral Health Clinic
Salt Lake City
801-662-5594

  • Dr. Melissa "Missy" Dixon earned her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Utah, with practicum training in counseling and assessment (psychological and neuropsychological) at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She completed her clinical internship in counseling and neuropsychological assessment at Brigham Young University, followed by postdoctoral training in pediatric psychology at Primary Children’s Hospital. Currently, Dr. Dixon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, where she holds appointments in both the Division of Neurology and the Division of Behavioral Health.

    Dr. Dixon’s clinical expertise focuses on providing mental health services to children with medically complex conditions, particularly neuromuscular disorders of pediatric onset. Her research centers on two key areas: understanding the cognitive and central nervous system (CNS) involvement in muscular dystrophies of both childhood and adult onset, and exploring the factors that influence quality of life in individuals with muscular dystrophy. By integrating neuropsychological assessments, neuroimaging techniques, and patient-reported outcomes, her work aims to advance knowledge of cognitive function while informing interventions to improve overall well-being. Dr. Dixon’s ongoing research includes two primary initiatives. The first involves assessing cognitive function and using neuroimaging in children with myotonic dystrophy to understand CNS involvement during critical developmental stages. The second focuses on identifying key determinants of quality of life in individuals with muscular dystrophy, examining the physical, neurobehavioral, and psychosocial factors that contribute to overall well-being. Her work is supported by multiple grants, and she regularly presents her findings at national and international conferences.

    Specialties

  • Dr. Melissa "Missy" Dixon earned her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Utah, with practicum training in counseling and assessment (psychological and neuropsychological) at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She completed her clinical internship in counseling and neuropsychological assessment at Brigham Young University, followed by postdoctoral training in pediatric psychology at Primary Children’s Hospital. Currently, Dr. Dixon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, where she holds appointments in both the Division of Neurology and the Division of Behavioral Health.

    Dr. Dixon’s clinical expertise focuses on providing mental health services to children with medically complex conditions, particularly neuromuscular disorders of pediatric onset. Her research centers on two key areas: understanding the cognitive and central nervous system (CNS) involvement in muscular dystrophies of both childhood and adult onset, and exploring the factors that influence quality of life in individuals with muscular dystrophy. By integrating neuropsychological assessments, neuroimaging techniques, and patient-reported outcomes, her work aims to advance knowledge of cognitive function while informing interventions to improve overall well-being. Dr. Dixon’s ongoing research includes two primary initiatives. The first involves assessing cognitive function and using neuroimaging in children with myotonic dystrophy to understand CNS involvement during critical developmental stages. The second focuses on identifying key determinants of quality of life in individuals with muscular dystrophy, examining the physical, neurobehavioral, and psychosocial factors that contribute to overall well-being. Her work is supported by multiple grants, and she regularly presents her findings at national and international conferences.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Pediatrics -Primary
    Academic Divisions Neurology

    Education history

    Postdoctoral Training Child Psychology - Primary Children's Hospital Postdoctoral Training
    Fellowship Cognitive function in neuromuscular disease - University of Utah Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    Internship Counseling Psychology - Brigham Young University Intern
    Doctoral Training Educational Psychology: Counseling Psychology - University of Utah Ph.D.
    Graduate Training Educational Psychology: Professional Counseling - University of Utah M.S.
    Undergraduate Psychology, Biology - Regis University B.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Namita Patel, MD, Kiera N Berggren, MACCC-SLP, MS, Man Hung, PhD, MED, MSTAT, MSIS, MBA, Kameron Bates, MS, Melissa Dixon, PhD, Karen Bax, PhD, C Psych, Heather R Adams, PhD, Russell Butterfield, MD, PhD, Craig Campbell, MD, and Nicholas E Johnson, MD, MSc, FAAN (). The Neurobehavioral Phenotype of Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy, in press. (Epub ahead of print) Neurology.
    2. Cawthon RM, Meeks HD, Sasani TA, Smith KR, Kerber RA, OBrien E, Baird L, Dixon MM, Peiffer AP, Leppert MF, Quinlan AR, Jorde LB (2020). Germline mutation rates in young adults predict longevity and reproductive lifespan. Sci Rep, 10(1), 10001. (Read full article)
    3. Pucillo EM, Mcintyre MM, Pautler M, Hung M, Bounsanga J, Voss MW, Hayes H, Dibella DL, Trujillo C, Dixon M, Butterfield RJ, Johnson NE (2018). Modified dynamic gait index and limits of stability in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Muscle Nerve, 58(5), 694-699. (Read full article)
    4. Hayes HA, Dibella D, Crockett R, Dixon M, Butterfield RJ, Johnson NE (2018). Stepping Activity in Children With Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy. Pediatr Phys Ther, 30(4), 335-339. (Read full article)
    5. Berggren KN, Hung M, Dixon MM, Bounsanga J, Crockett B, Foye MD, Gu Y, Campbell C, Butterfield RJ, Johnson NE (2017). Orofacial strength, dysarthria, and dysphagia in congenital myotonic dystrophy. Muscle Nerve, 58(3), 413-417. (Read full article)
    6. Pucillo EM, Dibella DL, Hung M, Bounsanga J, Crockett B, Dixon M, Butterfield RJ, Campbell C, Johnson NE (2017). Physical function and mobility in children with congenital myotonic dystrophy. Muscle Nerve, 56(2), 224-229. (Read full article)
    7. Johnson NE, Butterfield R, Berggren K, Hung M, Chen W, DiBella D, Dixon M, Hayes H, Pucillo E, Bounsanga J, Heatwole C, Campbell C (2016). Disease burden and functional outcomes in congenital myotonic dystrophy: A cross-sectional study. Neurology, 87(2), 160-7. (Read full article)
    8. Singh NA, Pappas C, Dahle EJ, Claes LR, Pruess TH, De Jonghe P, Thompson J, Dixon M, Gurnett C, Peiffer A, White HS, Filloux F, Leppert MF (2009). A role of SCN9A in human epilepsies, as a cause of febrile seizures and as a potential modifier of Dravet syndrome. PLoS Genet, 5(9), e1000649. (Read full article)
    9. Dixon, M M, Reyes, C J, Leppert, M F, Pappas, L M (2008). Personality and birth order in large families. Pers Individ Dif, 44(1), 119-128.
    10. International HapMap Consortium, Frazer KA, Ballinger DG, Cox DR, Hinds DA, Stuve LL, Gibbs RA, Belmont JW, Boudreau A, Hardenbol P, Leal SM, Pasternak S, Wheeler DA, Willis TD, Yu F, Yang H, Zeng C, Gao Y, Hu H, Hu W, Li C, Lin W, Liu S, Pan H, Tang X, Wang J, Wang W, Yu J, Zhang B, Zhang Q, Zhao H, Zhao H, Zhou J, Gabriel SB, Barry R, Blumenstiel B, Camargo A, Defelice M, Faggart M, Goyette M, Gupta S, Moore J, Nguyen H, Onofrio RC, Parkin M, Roy J, Stahl E, Winchester E, Ziaugra L, Altshuler D, Shen Y, Yao Z, Huang W, Chu X, He Y, Jin L, Liu Y, Shen Y, Sun W, Wang H, Wang Y, Wang Y, Xiong X, Xu L, Waye MM, Tsui SK, Xue H, Wong JT, Galver LM, Fan JB, Gunderson K, Murray SS, Oliphant AR, Chee MS, Montpetit A, Chagnon F, Ferretti V, Leboeuf M, Olivier JF, Phillips MS, Roumy S, Salle C, Verner A, Hudson TJ, Kwok PY, Cai D, Koboldt DC, Miller RD, Pawlikowska L, Taillon-Miller P, Xiao M, Tsui LC, Mak W, Song YQ, Tam PK, Nakamura Y, Kawaguchi T, Kitamoto T, Morizono T, Nagashima A, Ohnishi Y, Sekine A, Tanaka T, Tsunoda T, Deloukas P, Bird CP, Delgado M, Dermitzakis ET, Gwilliam R, Hunt S, Morrison J, Powell D, Stranger BE, Whittaker P, Bentley DR, Daly MJ, de Bakker PI, Barrett J, Chretien YR, Maller J, McCarroll S, Patterson N, Peer I, Price A, Purcell S, Richter DJ, Sabeti P, Saxena R, Schaffner SF, Sham PC, Varilly P, Altshuler D, Stein LD, Krishnan L, Smith AV, Tello-Ruiz MK, Thorisson GA, Chakravarti A, Chen PE, Cutler DJ, Kashuk CS, Lin S, Abecasis GR, Guan W, Li Y, Munro HM, Qin ZS, Thomas DJ, McVean G, Auton A, Bottolo L, Cardin N, Eyheramendy S, Freeman C, Marchini J, Myers S, Spencer C, Stephens M, Donnelly P, Cardon LR, Clarke G, Evans DM, Morris AP, Weir BS, Tsunoda T, Mullikin JC, Sherry ST, Feolo M, Skol A, Zhang H, Zeng C, Zhao H, Matsuda I, Fukushima Y, Macer DR, Suda E, Rotimi CN, Adebamowo CA, Ajayi I, Aniagwu T, Marshall PA, Nkwodimmah C, Royal CD, Leppert MF, Dixon M, Peiffer A, Qiu R, Kent A, Kato K, Niikawa N, Adewole IF, Knoppers BM, Foster MW, Clayton EW, Watkin J, Gibbs RA, Belmont JW, Muzny D, Nazareth L, Sodergren E, Weinstock GM, Wheeler DA, Yakub I, Gabriel SB, Onofrio RC, Richter DJ, Ziaugra L, Birren BW, Daly MJ, Altshuler D, Wilson RK, Fulton LL, Rogers J, Burton J, Carter NP, Clee CM, Griffiths M, Jones MC, McLay K, Plumb RW, Ross MT, Sims SK, Willey DL, Chen Z, Han H, Kang L, Godbout M, Wallenburg JC, LArchevque P, Bellemare G, Saeki K, Wang H, An D, Fu H, Li Q, Wang Z, Wang R, Holden AL, Brooks LD, McEwen JE, Guyer MS, Wang VO, Peterson JL, Shi M, Spiegel J, Sung LM, Zacharia LF, Collins FS, Kennedy K, Jamieson R, Stewart J (2007). A second generation human haplotype map of over 3.1 million SNPs. Nature, 449(7164), 851-61. (Read full article)
    11. Sabeti PC, Varilly P, Fry B, Lohmueller J, Hostetter E, Cotsapas C, Xie X, Byrne EH, McCarroll SA, Gaudet R, Schaffner SF, Lander ES, International HapMap Consortium, Frazer KA, Ballinger DG, Cox DR, Hinds DA, Stuve LL, Gibbs RA, Belmont JW, Boudreau A, Hardenbol P, Leal SM, Pasternak S, Wheeler DA, Willis TD, Yu F, Yang H, Zeng C, Gao Y, Hu H, Hu W, Li C, Lin W, Liu S, Pan H, Tang X, Wang J, Wang W, Yu J, Zhang B, Zhang Q, Zhao H, Zhao H, Zhou J, Gabriel SB, Barry R, Blumenstiel B, Camargo A, Defelice M, Faggart M, Goyette M, Gupta S, Moore J, Nguyen H, Onofrio RC, Parkin M, Roy J, Stahl E, Winchester E, Ziaugra L, Altshuler D, Shen Y, Yao Z, Huang W, Chu X, He Y, Jin L, Liu Y, Shen Y, Sun W, Wang H, Wang Y, Wang Y, Xiong X, Xu L, Waye MM, Tsui SK, Xue H, Wong JT, Galver LM, Fan JB, Gunderson K, Murray SS, Oliphant AR, Chee MS, Montpetit A, Chagnon F, Ferretti V, Leboeuf M, Olivier JF, Phillips MS, Roumy S, Salle C, Verner A, Hudson TJ, Kwok PY, Cai D, Koboldt DC, Miller RD, Pawlikowska L, Taillon-Miller P, Xiao M, Tsui LC, Mak W, Song YQ, Tam PK, Nakamura Y, Kawaguchi T, Kitamoto T, Morizono T, Nagashima A, Ohnishi Y, Sekine A, Tanaka T, Tsunoda T, Deloukas P, Bird CP, Delgado M, Dermitzakis ET, Gwilliam R, Hunt S, Morrison J, Powell D, Stranger BE, Whittaker P, Bentley DR, Daly MJ, de Bakker PI, Barrett J, Chretien YR, Maller J, McCarroll S, Patterson N, Peer I, Price A, Purcell S, Richter DJ, Sabeti P, Saxena R, Schaffner SF, Sham PC, Varilly P, Altshuler D, Stein LD, Krishnan L, Smith AV, Tello-Ruiz MK, Thorisson GA, Chakravarti A, Chen PE, Cutler DJ, Kashuk CS, Lin S, Abecasis GR, Guan W, Li Y, Munro HM, Qin ZS, Thomas DJ, McVean G, Auton A, Bottolo L, Cardin N, Eyheramendy S, Freeman C, Marchini J, Myers S, Spencer C, Stephens M, Donnelly P, Cardon LR, Clarke G, Evans DM, Morris AP, Weir BS, Tsunoda T, Johnson TA, Mullikin JC, Sherry ST, Feolo M, Skol A, Zhang H, Zeng C, Zhao H, Matsuda I, Fukushima Y, Macer DR, Suda E, Rotimi CN, Adebamowo CA, Ajayi I, Aniagwu T, Marshall PA, Nkwodimmah C, Royal CD, Leppert MF, Dixon M, Peiffer A, Qiu R, Kent A, Kato K, Niikawa N, Adewole IF, Knoppers BM, Foster MW, Clayton EW, Watkin J, Gibbs RA, Belmont JW, Muzny D, Nazareth L, Sodergren E, Weinstock GM, Wheeler DA, Yakub I, Gabriel SB, Onofrio RC, Richter DJ, Ziaugra L, Birren BW, Daly MJ, Altshuler D, Wilson RK, Fulton LL, Rogers J, Burton J, Carter NP, Clee CM, Griffiths M, Jones MC, McLay K, Plumb RW, Ross MT, Sims SK, Willey DL, Chen Z, Han H, Kang L, Godbout M, Wallenburg JC, LArchevque P, Bellemare G, Saeki K, Wang H, An D, Fu H, Li Q, Wang Z, Wang R, Holden AL, Brooks LD, McEwen JE, Guyer MS, Wang VO, Peterson JL, Shi M, Spiegel J, Sung LM, Zacharia LF, Collins FS, Kennedy K, Jamieson R, Stewart J (2007). Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations. Nature, 449(7164), 913-8. (Read full article)
    12. Rotimi C, Leppert M, Matsuda I, Zeng C, Zhang H, Adebamowo C, Ajayi I, Aniagwu T, Dixon M, Fukushima Y, Macer D, Marshall P, Nkwodimmah C, Peiffer A, Royal C, Suda E, Zhao H, Wang VO, McEwen J, International HapMap Consortium (2007). Community engagement and informed consent in the International HapMap project. Community Genet, 10(3), 186-98. (Read full article)
    13. The International HapMap Consortium (2005). A haplotype map of the human genome. Nature, 437(7063), 1299-1320.
    14. The International HapMap Consortium (2003). The International HapMap Project. Nature, 426(6968), 789-796.
    15. Bernstein, P S, Tammur, J, Singh, N, Hutchinson, A, Dixon, M, Pappas, et al (2001). Diverse Macular Dystrophy Phenotype Caused by a Novel Complex Mutation in the ELOVL4 Gene. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 42(13), 3331-3336.

    Book Chapter

    1. Ruth Sheldon, MPH, MSW Melissa M Dixon, PhD Benjamin Galais, PhD Benjamin Reynolds, PhD, BCBA-D Tanya Stevenson, EdD, MPH Mindy Buchanan Emily Romney, MPA (). DM and Mental Health Considerations and Care Recommendations [publication planned for February 2024]. In Myotonic Dystrophy and Mental Health Handbook.

    Abstract

    1. Dixon, MM, Otterud, B, Berggren, KN, Crockett, R, Adams, H, Bounsanga, J, Hung, M, Bax, K, Campbell, C, Zielinski, B, Johnson, NE (2017). A Phenotypic Profile of Cognitive Function in Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy doi 10.1002/mus25974 [Abstract]. 56(1).
    2. McIntyre, M, Dixon, M, Pucillo, EM, DiBella, D, Crockett, R, et al (2017). A longitudinal study of age equivalent receptive communication and performance on functional outcome measures in congenital myotonic dystrophy doi: 10.1002/mus.25770 [Abstract]. 8:17.
    3. Dixon, MM, Snyder, R, Adams, H, Franklin, JD, Hung, M, Heatwole, CR, Johnson, NE (2014). Ambulation, Learning Difficulties, and Visual Spatial Abilities in Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy [Abstract]. 50(S1), S5.
    4. Hayes, H A, Dixon, M, Powell-Versteeg, A, Snyder, R, Butterfield, RJ, Johnson, NE (2014). Assessment of six-minute walk test in children with congenital myotonic dystrophy: preliminary results [Abstract]. 50(S1), S5.

    Other

    1. Dixon, MM (2016). Trichotillomania: A Journey of Personal Empowerment: A Qualitative Study of Women Who Engage in Chronic Hair Pulling. University of Utah, ID197730. University of Utah.