Melissa Walker Freeman serves as the Lead Art Therapist for Creative Forces and Healing Arts Program Coordinator at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), a directorate of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Melissa helped to develop the Healing Arts Program at the NICoE, where she works with military service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and associated psychological health conditions. She and her team treat  service members using creative arts therapies, allowing them to effectively express the invisible wounds of war. Masks made by NICoE service members  were highlighted in a 2015 edition of National Geographic, and the art therapy program is also discussed in (External link)Melissa’s 2016 TED talk. Melissa actively engages in therapy research and was listed as one of “100 Women in Science” by Taylor & Francis. Melissa received her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from NYU.