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Medical Center / Health Care
STONY BROOK, NY – Melody Goodman, Ph.D., has been named Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine, Division of Evaluative Sciences, Graduate Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University. She will also assume the role of Associate Director of the Center for Public Health and Health Policy Research. Dr. Goodman’s research focus is on analyzing data from community-based health interventions and racial/ethnic health disparities research. Dr. Goodman, who received her Ph.D. in Biostatistics from Harvard University this year, has taught biostatistics at the Harvard School for Public Health, and worked as a statistical consultant at the Center for Community Based Research, Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Her move to New York and position at Stony Brook University is a homecoming, as she graduated with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics/Economics (Summa Cum Laude) from Stony Brook in 1999. Her new position also gives the Jamaica, Queens native an opportunity to work on improving the health of the communities where she grew up. “It is my great pleasure to have Dr. Goodman join our talented faculty, and we are thrilled to have her,” says Raymond L. Goldsteen, Dr.P.H., Director, Stony Brook University Graduate Program in Public Health. “Having been raised in New York City, Dr. Goodman brings passion and perspective to the challenge of uncovering reasons for the health disparities that exist in our communities. She is a tremendous asset to the research and training endeavors of our public health program.” Dr. Goodman will be working with community health centers, churches, and other groups within African-American and underserved communities on Long Island. Her main areas of interest are cancer incidence in minorities, obesity, hypertension, and behavioral changes that can reduce the risk of preventable diseases. “My goal is to bridge the gap between community health needs and research by working directly with communities to better understand the health issues, problems or shortcomings they are experiencing, then develop research based on that,” says Dr. Goodman. “Community-based research is a tool that helps us target needed areas of health research for specific populations.” The vision of the Graduate Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University is to improve the health of populations on Long Island and in the region through education, research, and community service. The program offers a Masters in Public Health (MPH) and an MD/MPH tract for medical students. The program’s first graduates received their MPH degrees this past May. Dr. Goodman lives with her fiancé in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood where she grew up. -30- © Copyright 2005 by Stony Brook University |
