Melody Goodman

Dean, School of Global Public Health

Professor of Biostatistics

Professional overview

Dr. Melody S. Goodman is a biostatistician and research methodologist. Her work is anchored upon moving beyond defining problems and focuses on developing solutions using partner-engaged research approaches. Dr. Goodman’s research efforts seek to develop a more rigorous understanding of the social risk factors contributing to urban health outcomes. Her work aims to develop solutions for improving health in high-risk populations. She conducts translational research that bridges the gap between research and practice. Through rigorous attention to study design, measurement, and the use of cutting-edge statistical analysis methods, her contributions have spanned the areas of prevention, treatment, intervention, and policy.

Dr. Goodman led the team that developed and comprehensively evaluated the Research Engagement Survey Tool, a quantitative survey measure to assess the level of partner engagement in research studies from the non-academic partner perspective. With numerous funders supporting her work (e.g., National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Verizon Foundation, Long Island Community Foundation, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and Susan G. Komen), she has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and two books (2018 Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group): 1) Public Health Research Methods for Partnerships and Practice and 2) Biostatistics for Clinical and Public Health Research, which now has a second edition (2026 Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group). She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, New York Academy of Medicine, and the inaugural recipient of the Societal Impact Award from the Caucus for Women in Statistics.

Education

BS, Economics and Applied Mathematics & Statistics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY

MS, Biostatistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

PhD, Biostatistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Honors and awards

Fellow, American Statistical Association (2021)

Societal Impact Award, Caucus for Women in Statistics (2021)

Network Builder Award, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections (2019)

Siteman Cancer Center “Rock Doc” (2013)

Satcher Health Leadership Institute - Morehouse School of Medicine, Community Health Leadership Institute Intensive Cohort II (2013)

Women of the Year - Health, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. - Suffolk Chapter (2010)

President’s Award for Teaching Excellence - Stony Brook University (2009)

President’s Award for Excellence in Team Achievement - Stony Brook University (2008)

Areas of research and study

Biostatistics

Community Health

Community-based Participatory Research

Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-based Programs

Quantitative Research

Publications

Publications

Mammograms on-the-go - Predictors of repeat visits to mobile mammography vans in St Louis, Missouri, USA: A case-control study

Quantitative evaluation of the community research fellows training program

Race, law, and health: Examination of 'Stand Your Ground' and defendant convictions in Florida

Racial composition over the life course: Examining separate and unequal environments and the risk for heart disease for African American men

Racism at the Intersections: Gender and Socioeconomic Differences in the Experience of Racism Among African Americans

The impact of teach-back on comprehension of discharge instructions and satisfaction among emergency patients with limited health literacy: A randomized, controlled study

An empirical analysis of White privilege, social position and health

Analysis of ordinal outcomes with longitudinal covariates subject to missingness

Brentwood community health care assessment

Does numeracy correlate with measures of health literacy in the emergency department?

Effect of cognitive dysfunction on the relationship between age and health literacy

Feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of brief health literacy and numeracy screening instruments in an urban emergency department

Is low health literacy associated with increased emergency department utilization and recidivism?

Perceived barriers to mammography among underserved women in a Breast Health Center Outreach Program

Racial disparities in risk of second breast tumors after ductal carcinoma in situ

Responses to genomic information by race/ethnicity in a medically underserved population

Screening for colorectal cancer: Using data to set prevention priorities

Urological chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptom flares: Characterisation of the full range of flares at two sites in the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network

An institutional strategy to increase minority recruitment to therapeutic trials

Availability of and Ease of Access to Calorie Information on Restaurant Websites

Examining infant and neonatal mortality by community health center concentration

Family Health History Communication Networks of Older Adults: Importance of Social Relationships and Disease Perceptions

Hidalgo and goodman respond

Spatial and Racial Patterning of Real Estate Broker Listings in New York City

Using small-area analysis to estimate county-level racial disparities in obesity demonstrating the necessity of targeted interventions