Elizabeth Goodman, MD

Professor, Tufts School of Medicine
egoodman@tuftsmedicalcenter.org

Elizabeth Goodman, MD, is Director of the Child and Adolescent Obesity Program at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center and a Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health and Nutrition at Tufts University  Dr. Goodman's research focuses on the processes through which social inequalities in health develop. Through her work, she has been attempting to understand how the structure of our society, created through social and economic policies and practices, influences health and well being— what she has termed "the biology of social justice." As part of this program of research, she pioneered the study of subjective social status in adolescence. A major focus for the past five years has been the physiological and psychological processes through which differences in social status influence children's health and the trajectory toward adult cardiovascular health, particularly obesity and metabolic risk.

In addition to her research, Dr. Goodman directs PRIORITY (Prevention Research and Intervention for Obesity ReductIon and Treatment in Youth www.priorityyouth.org). PRIORITY is a multidisciplinary program to prevent and treat adolescent obesity at Tufts Medical Center's Floating Hospital for Children.  PRIORITY seeks to reach disadvantaged youth, their families, and communities through a range of community and clinical programs-complimented by research and policy initiatives-to help young people lead healthy and productive lives.  At PRIORITY, obesity prevention and treatment are seen as a social justice issues. The focus is on empowering young people to be change agents for themselves and for their communities.