Sophie Godley, DrPH, MPH
Clinical Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences - Boston University School of Public Health
Biography
Sophie Godley joined the Boston University School of Public Health faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Public Health in July of 2010. She previously was an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Community Health Sciences, where she taught courses on adolescent health and sexual health. Sophie has been working in the field of public health since 1993, and her areas of expertise include implementing science-based prevention programs and incorporating popular media into public health education. Sophie served as the deputy director of the AIDS Action Committee in Massachusetts for six years, overseeing prevention and education programs, while also offering practicum opportunities to BUSPH students. Sophie has also worked with ROCA, Inc. in Chelsea, MA, a performance-driven anti-poverty and anti-violence agency. At ROCA Sophie worked on a process evaluation of a project focused on high-risk young mothers. In 2010, she received BUSPH's Gail Douglas Award for Public Health Practice, presented annually to a practitioner who has made an outstanding contribution to public health in the areas of education, research, and service. In 2011 Sophie received the Associations of the School of Public Health/Pfizer Early Career in Public Health Teaching Award. In 2013 Sophie won the BUSPH annual Education Innovation Award. In May of 2017 Sophie received one of the University's highest awards in teaching, the Metcalf Award.
Prior to her work at the AIDS Action Committee, she was director of the Office of Adolescent Health and Youth Development at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health from 1999 to 2004. She received her B.A. from Smith College, her Master's degree in public health from the University of Washington, and her doctorate in public health from Boston University in 2017.
Currently Sophie teaches Introduction to Public Health for undergraduates, and courses in the Maternal and Child Health concentration, including Safer Sex in the City From Science to Policy, and Women Children and Adolescents Public Health Approaches. Sophie also teaches in the MPH core, Individual, Community and Population Health.
Sophie serves as Director of Undergraduate Education in the School of Public Health, advising students enrolled in the public health minor and the innovative 4+1 program, BUSPH’s combined BA/MPH and BS/MPH.
Sophie's current work in the community focuses on supporting healthy sexuality in communities and schools, and supporting families and parents of adolescents.
Other Positions
- Associate Director, KHC Administration
Education
- University of Washington, MPH Field of Study: Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Smith College, BA Field of Study: Women's Studies
Classes Taught
- SPHMC705
- SPHPH510
- SPHPH720
- SPHPH931
- SPHSB921
- SPHSB922
Publications
- Published on 1/7/2025
Kruger JS, Godley S, Neubauer LC. Supporting Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Public Health: An Ecosystem Approach. Pedagogy in Health Promotion. 2025; 0(0).
Read At: Custom
- Published on 12/10/2024
Fortunato, E. K., Dolan, C. A., Beard, J., Bor, J., Halim, N., Onyango, M. A., ... & Godley, S. . Balancing Faculty Autonomy with Collaboration, Course Updates, and Consistency in Core Courses: Recommendations for Teaching Teams and Administrators of Schools and Programs of Public Health. Pedagogy in Health Promotion. 2024.
- Published on 11/14/2024
Godley S, Romocki LS. . Celebrating 10 Years of Pedagogy in Health Promotion: In Defense of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism in Public Health Pedagogy. Pedagogy in Health Promotion. 2024; 4(10):208-209.
- Published on 2/22/2024
Moreira-Bouchard JD, Godley S, DeBiasse MA. LGBTQ+ faculty, queering health sciences classrooms: student perspectives. Adv Physiol Educ. 2024 Jun 01; 48(2):270-278. PMID: 38385195.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 10/12/2021
Kruger JS, Godley S, Cercone Heavey S. Developing a Culture of Caring in Classrooms: Best Practices During a Global Pandemic and Beyond. Pedagogy in Health Promotion. 2021.
- Published on 12/14/2020
Godley, S, Aumiller B, Horigian V, Khalil N, Kruger J, Pennel C, Youatt E, Kiviniemi MT. "Evidence-Based Educational Practices for Public Health: How We Teach Matters.". Pedagogy in Health Promotion. 2020.
Read At: Custom
- Published on 10/27/2020
Campbell JK, Poage SM, Godley S, Rothman EF. Social Anxiety as a Consequence of Non-consensually Disseminated Sexually Explicit Media Victimization. J Interpers Violence. 2022 May; 37(9-10):NP7268-NP7288. PMID: 33107385.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 10/26/2020
Sophie Godley. Reflection. A Love Letter to My Public Health Students During a Global Pandemic. 2020; 6(4):233-234.
Read At: Custom
- Published on 2/1/2018
Godley S. Supporting Vulnerable Youths Through Community Collaboration. Am J Public Health. 2018 02; 108(S1):S21-S22. PMID: 29443556.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 1/1/2018
Godley S, Cozier Y. Chapter: Navigating Difficult Conversations in Public Health Classrooms. Teaching Public Health. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore. 2018.
View 2 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC
News & In the Media
- Published on November 16, 2024
- Published on May 30, 2024
-
Published on May 24, 2024
Two Decades of Innovation in Public Health Leadership: SPH’s DrPH Program Turns 20
- Published on May 4, 2024
-
Published on March 8, 2024
Student Wins Climate Innovation Challenge with Tree Planting Initiative
- Published on November 9, 2023
-
Published on October 24, 2023
Massachusetts, 40 Other States Sue Instagram over Child Marketing
-
Published on July 6, 2022
With Roe v. Wade Gone, Would Better Sex Ed Help Avert Unwanted Pregnancies?
- Published on January 29, 2022
- Published on June 25, 2021
-
Published on April 21, 2021
Derek Chauvin Trial: BU Community Reacts to the Guilty Verdict
- Published on March 17, 2021
- Published on November 20, 2020
- Published on April 15, 2020
-
Published on March 2, 2020
Public Health Laws Strike Balance between Individual Rights, Good of Community, Health Expert Says
- Published on November 14, 2019
-
Published on September 24, 2018
Panel at School of Public Health Addresses the Fight for Transgender Rights on the Ballot
- Published on March 29, 2018
- Published on February 8, 2018
- Published on October 2, 2017
- Published on May 22, 2017
- Published on May 15, 2017
- Published on February 23, 2017
- Published on November 2, 2016
- Published on August 1, 2016
- Published on June 16, 2016
-
Published on March 30, 2016
Professor: ‘Let’s Focus on Real Threats to Health and Well-Being’
- Published on December 9, 2015
-
Published on February 18, 2015
Popularity of ‘Fifty Shades’ Is Natural Result of Shame-Based Sexuality ‘Education’