Melody S Goodman

New York University | NYU · College of Global Public Health/Biostatistics

This cross-sectional study examines rates of police pursuit fatalities in the US from 2017 to 2021.

Objectives The relationship between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and interest in master of public health (MPH) programs is unknown. We examined trends in MPH application rates for 31 MPH concentrations and specifically for the MPH concentration in epidemiology and differences by race and ethnicity before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pa...

Background We examined neighborhood characteristics concerning breast cancer screening annual adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We analyzed 6673 female patients aged 40 or older at increased inherited cancer risk in 2 large health care systems (NYU Langone Health [NYULH] and the University of Utah Health [UHealth]). Multinomial model...

Background Social vulnerability may play a role in social media-involved crime, but few studies have investigated this issue. We investigated associations between social vulnerability and social media-involved violent crimes. Methods We analyzed 22,801 violent crimes occurring between 2018 and 2023 in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Social media...

Data sharing, the act of making scientific research data available to others, can accelerate innovation and discoveries, and ultimately enhance public health. The National Cancer Institute Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control convened a diverse group of research scientists, practitioners, and community partners in three interactive work...

Importance Increasing numbers of unaffected individuals could benefit from genetic evaluation for inherited cancer susceptibility. Automated conversational agents (ie, chatbots) are being developed for cancer genetics contexts; however, randomized comparisons with standard of care (SOC) are needed. Objective To examine whether chatbot and SOC appr...

Objective To analyze the relationship between perceived discrimination over the life course, social status, and limited health literacy (HL). Methods 5040 adults who participated in the 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health. We applied stratified multilevel models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. Results The average age was 47 yea...

Background Studies investigating the impact of racial segregation on health have reported mixed findings and tended to focus on the racial composition of neighborhoods. These studies use varying racial composition measures, such as census data or investigator-adapted questions, which are currently limited to assessing one dimension of neighborhood...

Background Research is needed to understand the impact of social determinants of health on health literacy throughout the life course. This study examined how racial composition of multiple past and current social environments was related to adults' health literacy. Methods In this study, 546 adult patients at a primary care clinic in St. Louis, M...

Objective We attempted to conduct a randomized controlled trial of three different informed consent training formats to evaluate their effectiveness. We recruited 503 clinical research professionals, who received $50 for participation. Incidental findings showed unexpectedly low rates of compliance with completing the study training protocols, resu...

Background Little attention has been devoted to framing multiple continuous social variables as a “mixture” for social epidemiologic analysis. We propose using the Bayesian kernel machine regression analytic framework that yields univariate, bivariate, and overall exposure mixture effects. Methods Using data from the 2023 Survey of Racism and Publ...

Background: Innovative analytic approaches to drug studies are needed to understand better the co-use of opioids with non-opioids among people using illicit drugs. One approach is the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), widely applied in environmental epidemiology to study exposure mixtures but has received far less attention in substance us...

In June 2022, the NIH Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) issued a Call for Papers for a Supplemental Issue to Prevention Science on Design and Analytic Methods to Evaluate Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities. ODP sought to bring together current thinking and new ideas about design and analytic methods for studies aimed at reducing...

The diversity of racial/ethnic representation in the health services and policy research (HSPR) workforce plays a crucial role in addressing the health needs of underserved populations. We assessed changes (between 2012 and 2022) in the racial/ethnic composition of students and faculty from departments of Health Policy & Management (HPM) and Health...

Purpose Genetic testing for gene mutations which elevate risk for breast cancer is particularly important for women diagnosed at a young age. Differences remain in access and utilization to testing across social groups, and research on the predictors of interest in genetic testing for women diagnosed at a young age is limited. Methods We examined...

There is consensus about the importance of developing a strong cadre of effective multilevel interventions to eliminate the impacts of unjust social processes, such as structural racism and other harmful social determinants of health (SDOH), on health inequities in the USA. However, the available cadre of rigorously evaluated evidence-based interve...

Background Upon reintegration into society, formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) experience chronic financial stress due to prolonged unemployment, strained social relationships, and financial obligations. This study examined whether marriage and perceived social status can mitigate financial stress, which is deleterious to the well-being of FI...

Background ApoL1 variants G1 and G2 are associated with a higher risk of kidney disease. ApoL1 risk variants are predominantly seen in individuals with sub-Saharan African ancestry. In most transplant centers, potential organ donors are being selectively genetically tested for ApoL1 risk variants. Transplant programs have highly variable ApoL1 test...

BACKGROUND Studies investigating the impact of racial segregation on health have reported mixed findings and tended to focus on the racial composition of neighborhoods. These studies use varying racial composition measures, such as census data or investigator-adapted questions, which are currently limited to assessing one dimension of neighborhood...

Objective This study aimed to 1) investigate algorithm enhancements for identifying patients eligible for genetic testing of hereditary cancer syndromes using family history data from electronic health records (EHRs); and 2) assess their impact on relative differences across sex, race, ethnicity, and language preference. Materials and Methods The...

In this chapter, we will discuss three key ethical issues related to data collected in stakeholder-engaged research: (1) data ownership, (2) deciding how data are used, and (3) deciding what is published. We begin with the legal and regulatory policies of universities and sponsors around data ownership and data sharing. We then discuss the role of...

Background Physical activity behavioral interventions to change individual-level drivers of activity, like motivation, attitudes, and self-efficacy, are often not sustained beyond the intervention period. Interventions at both environmental and individual levels might facilitate durable change. This community-based study seeks to test a multilevel,...

There is limited literature on the measures and metrics used to examine racism in the health inequities literature. Health inequities research is continuously evolving with the number of publications increasing over time. However, there is limited knowledge on the best measures and methods to examine the impact of different levels of racism (instit...

This analysis identifies factors associated with overdose risk behaviors and non-fatal overdose among a sample of 577 adult-age people who use illicit opioids and live in NYC. Survey data--which included outcome measures assessing (1) past 30-day non-fatal overdose and past 30-day overdose-related risk behaviors and (2) predictors representing pote...

Meaningful community engagement is critical to achieving the lofty goal of health equity. Nonetheless, implementing the principles of community engagement is not easy. Attempting to implement best practices for collaborating on transdisciplinary teams and working with community partners can be challenging, particularly in locales that have a long h...

Background: Older adults are at increased risk of cognitive impairments including Alzheimer's disease dementia. Legally authorized representatives (LARs) can provide informed consent when a participant is no longer able to, but little is known about barriers to incorporating them in research. Objective: Explore reasons for not asking and documen...

Geographical ancestry has been associated with an increased risk of various genetic conditions. Race and ethnicity often have been used as proxies for geographical ancestry. Despite numerous problems associated with the crude reliance on race and ethnicity as proxies for geographical ancestry, some genetic testing in the clinical, research, and emp...

Introduction: Many individuals who previously received negative genetic test results are eligible for updated testing. This study examined intention to communicate updated genetic test results to relatives in participants who previously received negative genetic test results. Methods: Women with a personal or family history of breast or ovarian...

The lack of diversity among the environmental health sciences (EHS) workforce has been an ongoing concern. However, limited research exists on the racial and ethnic composition of EHS students and faculty over time. We analyzed 2011 and 2021 data on EHS students, graduates, and faculty to compare changes in the racial and ethnic composition among A...

Introduction Several evidence-informed consent practices (ECPs) have been shown to improve informed consent in clinical trials but are not routinely used. These include optimizing consent formatting, using plain language, using validated instruments to assess understanding, and involving legally authorized representatives when appropriate. We hypot...

Objective: To examine cognitive, relational, and social predictors of interest in and timing preference for cancer predisposition testing (CPT) and expanded carrier screening (ECS) offered in routine gynecologic care for women of reproductive age. Methods: Women between 20 and 35 years old who were currently pregnant or had a prior pregnancy (N...

In response to fast-turnaround funding opportunities, collaborations have been forming across the country to address severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disparities. Here we describe the process, notes from the field, and evaluation results from a new collaboration involving multiple partners, formed in October 2020 in New...

Importance Clinical decision support (CDS) algorithms are increasingly being implemented in health care systems to identify patients for specialty care. However, systematic differences in missingness of electronic health record (EHR) data may lead to disparities in identification by CDS algorithms. Objective To examine the availability and compreh...

Little is known about the association between acculturation and mental health among Dominican populations in the United States. Data came from a community survey of Dominican residents of New York City (n = 2744). Associations between two indicators of acculturation, proportion of life spent in the U.S. and interview language (English/Spanish), wit...

Objectives Family history is an important tool for assessing disease risk, and tailoring recommendations for screening and genetic services referral. This study explored barriers to family history collection with Spanish-speaking patients. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in two US healthcare systems. We conducted semi-structured inter...

We conducted a pilot trial of an intervention targeting intersectional stigma related to being pregnant and living with HIV while promoting capabilities for achieving ‘respected motherhood’ (‘what matters most’) in Botswana. A pragmatic design allocated participants to the intervention (N = 44) group and the treatment-as-usual (N = 15) group. An in...

Background: The Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST) was developed to examine the level of partner (e.g., patients, caregivers, advocates, clinicians, community members) engagement in research studies. The REST is aligned with eight engagement principles based on the literature and consensus reached through a five round Delphi process. Each of t...

Objective: This study is a follow-up to a study in 2020 that reviewed changes in the racial and ethnic composition of public health students, graduates, and faculty among Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)-member institutions. In the current study, we evaluated how the racial and ethnic composition among biostatistics and...

Background: There is a lack of consistent regulation of cannabis edibles packaging to restrict youth-appealing content in the United States. Objective: To describe content appealing to youth on U.S. cannabis-infused edibles packaging. Methods: We analyzed 256 photos of cannabis-infused edibles packaging collected from U.S. adults from 25 state...

Introduction Engagement of relevant stakeholders’ ideas, opinions, and concerns is critical to the success of modern research projects. We have developed a tool to measure stakeholder engagement, called the Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST). The purpose of this paper is to present the implementation and uptake of the stakeholder engagement mea...

Background Recent media reports have highlighted copycat/lookalike cannabis edibles as a public health concern. No empirical papers have described this phenomenon. Methods From May 2020-August 2021, we collected photos of cannabis products via an online survey of cannabis users and through personal contacts. Copycat/lookalike products are defined...

Population health management (PHM) is an important approach to promote wellness and deliver health care to targeted individuals who meet criteria for preventive measures or treatment. A critical component for any PHM program is a data analytics platform that can target those eligible individuals. Objective The aim of this study was to design and i...

Qualitative health data are rarely shared in the United States (U.S.). This is unfortunate because gathering qualitative data is labor and time-intensive, and data sharing enables secondary research, training, and transparency. A new U.S. federal policy mandates data sharing by 2023, and is agnostic to data type. We surveyed U.S. qualitative resear...

Objective We aimed to evaluate the racial and ethnic diversity of study participants in recent pediatric cancer communication literature. Methods We systematically searched for communication studies in pediatric oncology published between January 2018 and September 2020, limiting analysis to US studies. We considered race and ethnicity as separate...

It is unknown how providing prospective living donors with information about APOL1, including the benefits and drawbacks of testing, influences their desire for testing. In this study, we surveyed 102 participants with self-reported African ancestry and positive family history of kidney disease, recruited from our nephrology waiting room. We assess...

Introduction: Breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is an important component of breast cancer care that improves the quality of life in breast cancer survivors. African American women are less likely to receive breast reconstruction than Caucasian women. The purpose of this study was to further investigate the reconstruction disparities we pre...

The Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST) examines the level of partner engagement in research studies. This study used mixed methods, including web-based surveys (N = 336), a modified Delphi process (N = 18), and cognitive response interviews (N = 16), with convenience sampling to develop and validate a short version of the REST. We conducted fac...

Recent revisions to the Common Rule require that consent documents begin with a focused presentation of the study's key information that is organized to facilitate understanding. We surveyed 1,284 researchers working with older adults or individuals with Alzheimer's disease, supplemented with 60 qualitative interviews, to understand current use and...

Introduction Participants and research professionals often overestimate how well participants understand and appreciate consent information for clinical trials, and experts often vary in their determinations of participant’s capacity to consent to research. Past research has developed and validated instruments designed to assess participant underst...

The subordinate health status of Blacks in the United States (US) has been documented since the 1899 publication of The Philadelphia Negro, in which W.E.B. DuBois presented empirical data on the differences in the quality of health between Blacks and Whites during the 1900s. Black–White differences in health persist today across a wide array of con...

Background Advances in genetics and sequencing technologies are enabling the identification of more individuals with inherited cancer susceptibility who could benefit from tailored screening and prevention recommendations. While cancer family history information is used in primary care settings to identify unaffected patients who could benefit from...

Perceived stigma deters engagement in HIV care and is powerfully shaped by culture. Yet few stigma measures consider how cultural capabilities that signify “full personhood” could be engaged to resist stigma. By applying a theory conceptualizing how culturally-salient mechanisms can worsen or mitigate HIV stigma in relation to “what matters most” (...

Background Despite recognition of the importance of stakeholder input into research, there is a lack of validated measures to assess how well constituencies are engaged and their input integrated into research design. Measurement theory suggests that a community engagement measure should use clear and simple language and capture important component...

Background: With high rates of HIV and multiple vulnerable subgroups across diverse settings, there is a need for culturally based, HIV stigma reduction interventions. Pregnant women who are living with HIV are especially in need of services to protect not only their own but also their children's lives. Uptake of HIV services worldwide is hindered...

Objective This study investigated how self-reported numeracy ability and preferences predict preferences for the amount and types of information provided about genome sequencing results among 1080 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger. Methods Participants reported their level of interest in 14 topics related to genome sequencing...

Although racial sexual exclusivity among Black gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men (SMM) is frequently framed as a cause of HIV inequities, little research has examined how these sexual relationships may be driven by and protective against racism. This study examined associations between general racial discrimination, Black sexual exclusiv...

This study examines how family history-related factors and causal beliefs affect underserved women’s cancer risk perceptions and adherence to mammography. 1,010 patients at a primary care safety net clinic at a large urban hospital completed a survey in 2015. Of the 1,010 patients, 467 women 45 years of age or older were included in this analysis....

Engagement activities are defined along a continuum that analyzes and represents nonacademic stakeholder activities and interactions with academic researchers. Proposed continua begin with none to limited stakeholder inclusion and input into research and continue with descriptions of increasing presence, input, and participation in decision-making....

In this study, we investigated how patients’ self-reported health information efficacy, relationship with health providers, and cancer history are associated with their preferences for informed consent and need for control over biobank biospecimens. We recruited 358 women aged 40 and older (56% African American; 44% European American), and analyzed...

Background: Stakeholder-engaged research is an umbrella term for the types of research that have community, patient, and/or stakeholder engagement, feedback, and bidirectional communication as approaches used in the research process. The level of stakeholder engagement across studies can vary greatly, from minimal engagement to fully collaborative...

Objective This study is a follow-up to an examination of the racial/ethnic composition of public health students (1996) and faculty (1997) at schools of public health that was conducted 20 years ago. We examined data on the race/ethnicity of students, graduates, and faculty among Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)–member i...

Aim: Using a stakeholder-engaged approach, this study conducted content validation and item reduction of a quantitative measure of research engagement. Methods: A five-round modified Delphi process was used to reach consensus on items. Rounds 1-3 and 5 were conducted using web-based surveys. Round 4 consisted of a 2-day, in-person meeting. Delph...

This study investigates how patients’ privacy concerns about research uses of biospecimen and trust in doctors are associated with their preferences for informed consent and need for control over biospecimens in a biobank. Particularly, this study focuses on the perspectives of Communication Privacy Management theory, precision medicine, and racial...

This study investigates how patients’ privacy concerns about research uses of biospecimen and trust in doctors are associated with their preferences for informed consent and need for control over biospecimens in a biobank. Particularly, this study focuses on the perspectives of Communication Privacy Management theory, precision medicine, and racial...

Objectives: To compare unintended pregnancy rates at 12months between women receiving structured contraceptive counseling plus usual contraceptive care, and women receiving structured contraceptive counseling, healthcare provider education, and cost support for long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods. Study design: Using a controlled...

Objective: To compare the proportion of women receiving same-day long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) between two different models of contraceptive provision adapted from the Contraceptive CHOICE Project. Study design: We used a controlled time-trend study design to compare 502 women receiving structured contraceptive counseling in additi...

Exploring residential segregation in the Gateway City with photographer Bryan Travis.

Information‐seeking models typically focus on information‐seeking behaviors based on individuals' interest in information, because their current level is perceived to be insufficient. In the context of genetic risk information (GRI), however, information insufficiency is difficult to measure and thus can limit understanding of information behavior...

Purpose: To adapt, implement, and evaluate a public health research methods training program for youth. The Community Research Fellows Training Program is an evidence-based public health research methods training program for adults (18 years and older). The Youth Research Fellows Training (YRFT) is an adaptation of this program for youth. Methods:...

This article addresses the concern that death by legal intervention is a health outcome disproportionately experienced by boys and men of color, and predicated on the quality of the locations in which encounters with law enforcement occur. Using a more comprehensive cross-verified sample of police homicides from online databases and a nationally re...

Introduction: Breast reconstruction after mastectomy is an important component of comprehensive breast cancer care due to its positive effects on quality of life for breast cancer survivors. Yet, African American women are significantly less likely to receive breast reconstruction compared to Caucasian women. Due to the positive impact breast recon...

Purpose: Community-based training in public health research can build capacity for community-based participatory research (CBPR) and foster health partnerships between academics and stakeholders. We describe a community-academic partnership developed from a 15-week program, the Community Research Fellows Training (CRFT), designed to increase resear...