Michael Goodman

Dr. Michael Goodman is a social epidemiologist on faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, USA. He has been working in Meru County, Kenya on issues of research, program planning, implementation and evaluation since 2012. Dr. Goodman's research interests include social and economic determinants of child welfare, child development, family systems functioning, healthcare access and utilization, mental and behavioral health outcomes. Dr. Goodman is the founding president and director of Sodzo International, an international NGO working in Meru County, Kenya with three primary projects - 1) A rescue center for street-involved children and youth (Watoto wa Ahadi Rescue Center), 2) a family strengthening program working on a range of social and economic issues with families in the community (Kuja Pamoja kwa Jamii), and 3) an early childhood/primary school. Dr. Goodman loves working alongside Kenyan program developers and researchers to improve the lives of children, their families and communities.