Living FREE Lab

Research Focused on Reducing Excessive Eating

The Living Free Lab Team

rwgoode@email.unc.edu
919-962-6429
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Rachel W. Goode, PhD, MPH, LCSW

Assistant Professor
Lab Director and Principal Investigator, Living F.R.E.E. Lab

Dr. Goode is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). She received her PhD, MPH, and MSW from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to address racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity and eating disorders. Her research has been funded by the NIH, National Eating Disorders Association, Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, Magee Womens Research Institute, and the University Research Council at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Additionally, Dr. Goode is a licensed clinical social worker, and has practice experience with the treatment of eating disorders and obesity among clients in university counseling centers, and community-based mental health agencies. She has been fortunate to be the recipient of various awards, including the Oprah Civic Leadership Award, National Health, Lung, Blood Institute (NIH) Research Service Award, and the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine. She is currently the principal investigator of an NIH/NIDDK Career Development Award (K23) to design a culturally-relevant digital health intervention to treat binge eating and obesity in Black women.

The Lab Team

Sarah Godoy, MSW

Project Coordinator

Sarah Godoy is a doctoral student, graduate research assistant, and Royster Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) School of Social Work. She is particularly interested in using community engaged strategies to bolster the health and rights of marginalized populations and center their voices through qualitative methods. Her area of research focuses on youth and young adults impacted by commercial sexual exploitation in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems and their intersection with healthcare, social services, and technology. Sarah was the Project Coordinator of the UCLA Commercial Sexual Exploitation Research Lab and the Co-Investigator of an intervention research study focused on reproductive education and sexual health rights of youth in foster care with histories of commercial sexual exploitation. Sarah was a Lecturer in the Department of Social Welfare at UCLA in 2018 and 2020. Sarah earned her master’s degree in Social Welfare at UCLA.  

Tyisha Harper, MBA

Project Coordinator

Tyisha Harper joined UNC Nutrition Research Institute in December 2021 as a Project Coordinator in the Goode Lab. She is originally for Milwaukee, WI and relocated to the Charlotte area with her new husband. While in Milwaukee, WI Tyisha worked as a Research Program Coordinator and Community Engagement Coordinator at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is excited to learn and develop her research career here. Tyisha is motivated by spiritual affirmations and her favorite one is Psalms 46:5, “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.”

Taylor Noem, BS

Senior Research Assistant

Taylor is a final-year student at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work. She graduated from The College of William & Mary in 2020 and worked on research projects in both the Psychology department along with the Kinesiology & Health Sciences department. Because of her Kinesiology background, Taylor finds the connection between the mind and body to be one of huge significance. She also feels that it is her duty as a future social worker to participate in research and determine which interventions and treatment plans are the best possible ones for clients. Taylor plans on obtaining her PhD in social work a few years after getting her LCSW and supervision hours.

Dani Coan
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Dani Coan is a senior at North Carolina State University majoring in social work and minoring in theater.  She has worked on multiple research topics, including disaster-preparedness, treatment outcomes in CBT relating to gender differences, complex trauma, and resilience in refugees. Dani plans to pursue a career in research, focusing specifically on the impact of culture and race in eating disorder diagnosis and treatment.

Hannah Wolfe, BA

Graduate Research Assistant

Hannah is a first-year graduate student in UNC Chapel Hill’s 2-year Master’s in Social Work program. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2020 with a major in Psychology and minor in Health & Wellbeing. Hannah has worked in two research labs prior to the Living F.R.E.E. Lab, one conducting research on eyewitness identification and the other on the sexual beliefs, experiences, and health practices of Black women. She spent the past year working at an eating disorder treatment center, facilitating meals and group therapy with clients. Hannah is passionate about changing our cultural understanding of and attitudes towards eating disorders and hopes to pursue a career in which she can help people of all identities feel at peace with their bodies and with food.

Bridgette Agbozo, BA

graduate Research Assistant

 
Bridgette hails from Greensboro, North Carolina with Ghanaian roots. They are pursuing a dual degree track consisting of a Master in Social Work (with a focus on Community, Management, and Policy Practice) and a Master in Public Health (with a focus on Health Equity, Human Rights, and Social Justice) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Bridgette is intrigued by the challenges that come with capturing the intersectional experiences of Black womxn and would like to expand the edges of their understanding of wellness. Bridgette is committed to adolescent health and bolstering already-existing community wealth to hold institutions accountable. They are curious about the ways dignified models of health and liberation can show up in wellness spaces. Bridgette is looking forward to being a part of a vibrant research lab pushing the possibilities of research and learning how research can be translated into tangible solutions.

 

 

Abby Mueller

Research intern

Abby is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is majoring in history with minors in chemistry and health society. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and is particularly interested in studying in psychiatry or primary care. She is grateful for the opportunity to be involved in a lab that intersects with her passion for minimizing health disparities and working with people.

Anjeli Patel

Research intern

Anjeli Patel is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science and a double minor in Biology and Chemistry. Following her undergraduate studies, Anjeli will continue to participate in research and work as an EMT while applying for medical school. Anjeli hopes to continue studying the factors that contribute to the development of disordered eating, especially as they relate to race, culture, gender, and economic status.

Katie Olson

Graduate Research Volunteer

Katie is a first-year graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2021 with a BA in Psychology and minors in Education and Health & Society. Katie has worked in two eating disorder focused research labs prior to the Living F.R.E.E. Lab and is looking forward to further developing her research skills and building expertise as a social work researcher. She is passionate about reducing stigmatization in eating disorder diagnosis and treatment. Upon graduation, Katie plans on getting her LCSW and becoming a child and adolescent clinician specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.  

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School of Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB #3550
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599

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