Rachel W. Goode, PhD, MPH, LCSW has been promoted to Associate Professor of Social Work at the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her promotion also encompasses her work at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) where Goode’s research is focused on developing, implementing, and evaluating equitable and community-engaged interventions to treat obesity and eating disorders.
Interestingly, the fields of eating disorders and obesity seldom overlap. Few individuals have managed to connect these areas by recognizing that weight management and disordered eating are often interrelated and can aggravate one another. Goode has navigated beyond the divide between these fields and earned recognition as a significant contributor to both.
A move to associate professor is well-deserved. “She is a well-funded, highly collaborative scholar building an interdisciplinary research program to design equitable and effective behavioral treatments to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes that do not exacerbate disordered eating,” explains Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD, FAED, Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC.
Dr. Goode was one of the first to bring attention to the prevalence of binge eating in Black Americans and has since developed clinical recommendations to make eating disorder treatments more culturally relevant for this population. Her research was the first to demonstrate effective interventions for reducing binge eating and improving weight management in Black women with obesity.
“Her translational research taking place at the NRI is ground-breaking and necessary for North Carolina communities. Dr. Goode’s promotion reflects her outstanding research achievements, exemplary leadership skills, and steadfast dedication to her students and lab members alike. We are incredibly fortunate to have her working at the NRI seeking to improve the health and well-being of those struggling with obesity and eating disorders,” said NRI Interim Director, Deborah F. Tate, PhD.
Goode joined the faculty and became a principal investigator at the NRI in 2022. She said she is excited to be “continuing to work steadfastly to expanding research on interventions to prevent and treat eating disorders and chronic disease in Black Americans.”
The entire NRI team extends a heart-felt congratulations to Dr. Rachel Goode!
Read more about Rachel Goode’s research and publications.
