Faculty Profile

Michael Goodman, MDiv MPH DrPH, is an assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases. His research is best characterized as applied social epidemiology, and investigates mental, behavioral, clinical, social and psychological factors within a newly minted integrative model he calls “flourishing communities.” This research focus emerged through action-reflection cycles with staff, programming and participants of a non-governmental organization founded by Dr Goodman and colleagues to address the problem of children living on the streets. Dr. Goodman remains unpaid executive director and founding president of this organization, Sodzo International. To date, Dr Goodman has published over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts around these topics, mostly as first author. These publications range from investigating the adult correlates of adverse and positive childhood experiences; gendered norms and behaviors impacting intimate partners; mental health; child-related behaviors and maltreatment; evaluations of structural interventions; social capital theory and empowerment. He is currently funded through a NIMH-K01 grant to develop and adapt an empowerment program with families with HIV in Kenya. Through this project, he has led the development of a curricula integrating positive psychology, behavioral change, rights-based education, self-determination theory, and acceptance and commitment therapy. This curricula is currently being tested in a cluster-randomized trial in rural Kenya where it is integrated with a group-based micro-lending program, and providing insight into a potential structure for an technology-enabled population-level delivery of social-psychological therapeutic elements for people experience long COVID in Galveston and other Texas counties. Dr. Goodman is also interested in the application of software technology to public health surveillance, and community-based health promotion.

Graduate school / Advanced training:

Emory University - Atlanta, GA, 2007

Master In Divinity, concentration in church community leadership

Harris County Health District - Ben Taub, Houston, 2008

Chaplain residency

University of Texas School of Public Health - Houston, TX, 2011

Master of public health - community health practice concentration

Thesis: Workbook to promote innovative thinking in health science (published: Oxford U Press)

University of Texas School of Public Health - Houston, TX, 2014

Doctorate in Public Health - community health practice & epidemiology

Dissertation: Evaluation of a combined intervention to empower orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya

University of Texas Medical Branch, 2015-2017

Post-doctoral fellowship with Dr Philip Keiser