About

Alyssa A Goodman is the Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy and a Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Her work spans astrophysics, science education, data science, data visualization, and prediction. Her astrophysical research focuses on understanding how interstellar gas arranges itself into new stars and on developing new techniques for measuring the structure of the Galaxy. Goodman is the leader and founder of several initiatives that utilize the WorldWide Telescope software to facilitate science education and enable discoveries about the Universe. She also leads the development of the high-dimensional linked-view exploratory data visualization software known as "glue" and is involved in creating educational content such as the HarvardX course "PredictionX," which explores the history of prediction from ancient times to modern simulations. Many of her efforts are unified under the "Seamless Astronomy" collaboration based at the CfA, which she organizes.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Psychiatry
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Clinical psychology
• Obstetrics
• Internal medicine
• Psychology
• Social psychology

Selected publications

• Referee report. For: Natural disaster and medication preparedness among elderly: a scoping review [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations, 1 not approved]

  Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2025-01-01

  peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Perceptions of respectful maternity care in Ukraine during a time of war

  Journal of Perinatal Medicine · 2025-12-12

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: An increasing body of evidence has revealed disrespectful and abusive care in facility-based childbirth as a barrier to maternal and child health. Providers have noted subpar work environments, inadequate staffing, and negative attitudes toward marginalized groups as barriers to respectful care. What has not been studied is the impact of disaster and violence on the delivery of respectful maternity care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the state of obstetrical care in a maternity hospital in Odessa, Ukraine during a time of military invasion. METHODS: We surveyed 202 maternity care providers who have worked at Odessa City Maternity Hospital № 5 for at least one year. Measurements and topics covered in the questionnaires included respectful care practices performed; types of disrespectful behaviors witnessed; the impact of war on the provision of respectful maternity care; post-traumatic stress; and attitudes about consent in obstetric care. RESULTS: Fifty percent of respondents believed disrespect was an issue in the field of obstetrics. A slight majority (55.0 %) reported that the frequency of disrespect and abuse remained the same before and after the invasion, while 32.2 % reported a lower frequency and 9.4 % reported a higher frequency of disrespect. There was little change in reported performance of respectful maternity care before and after the full-scale invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Reported effects of war on respectful maternity care were minimal. However, the relatively low knowledge of disrespect and the large spread of frequency of reported respectful behavior indicate an opportunity for training.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Radiation-Induced Liposarcoma of the Groin in a Patient with Prior Vulvar Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review

  Journal of Cancer Therapy · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Radiation-induced sarcomas (RIS) are rare but severe long-term complications of radiotherapy (RT). They typically arise years after exposure to ionizing radiation used to treat primary malignancies and complicate patient outcomes. Determining the risk associated with these radiation-induced cancers is challenging due to confounding factors such as lifestyle and genetic predisposition. Liposarcomas, which are the most common type of soft tissue sarcomas, originate from adipose tissue and can develop as a late complication of RT. Although they account for a significant portion of soft tissue sarcomas, radiation-induced liposarcomas are still considered rare, making them a noteworthy diagnostic and therapeutic concern. In this report, we present a rare case of radiation-induced dedifferentiated liposarcoma arising 12 years after RT for vulvar cancer. The patient presented with a mass in the groin, which was initially suspected to be a local recurrence. Imaging studies revealed a suspicious lesion on PET/CT, while MRI showed no significant findings. Histopathological evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Surgical resection was performed with a focus on achieving negative margins. A literature review identified nine similar cases, with five being pleomorphic liposarcomas. The average time to presentation was 15 years (interval 3 - 47 years), with a mean radiation dose of 62 Gy. This case highlights the importance of long-term follow-up for cancer survivors and the need for vigilance in diagnosing secondary malignancies following RT.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 69 Prevalence of port-site metastasis in laparoscopic surgeries for gynecologic cancers and its risk factors: A systematic review and meta analysis

  Journal of Clinical and Translational Science · 2025-03-25

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Objectives/Goals: Port-site metastasis (PSM), defined as the spread of malignancies to the abdominal wall at the site of surgical ports, poses a significant challenge in cancer management. The objective of this summary overview is to describe the prevalence of and risk factors associated with PSM in various gynecological cancers after laparoscopic surgery. Methods/Study Population: Study design: Systematic Review and Meta analysis Search strategy: All international databases, without language limitations, from January 1990 to December 2023. Inclusion/exclusion criteria: Cohort, case–control, or cross-sectional observational studies reporting the frequency of, or risk factors for PSM in young and middle-aged women will be included (using the PRISMA checklist). Data extraction: two reviewers independently extracting pertinent data (using the STROBE checklist). Quality assessment and risk of bias: The quality of each study will be assessed according to the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Studies. Results/Anticipated Results: This meta-analysis of 36 studies evaluated the proportion of successes across various populations, with a pooled proportion of 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01–0.02) based on a random-effects model. Significant heterogeneity was identified (I² = 88.12%), reflecting notable variability between studies. Despite this, the overall effect was statistically significant (p = 0.00). A subgroup analysis will be conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity, considering factors such as cancer stage, diagnostic methods, surgical approach (conventional or robotic), and study type (retrospective/prospective). Discussion/Significance of Impact: By identifying the prevalence of, and the risk factors for, PSM, this study will better inform personalized treatment approaches, surveillance strategies, and surgical decision-making to improve patient-related outcomes and long-term survival in women with gynecological malignancies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mistreatment during Childbirth: Impact on Maternal Outcomes and Importance of Provider Perspectives

  Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Dying in childbirth is one of the most common causes of death for women. While maternal mortality rates, defined as deaths per 100,000 live births, have been steadily dropping in most countries worldwide, maternal mortality rates have doubled in the United States in the last twenty years. This commentary examines the various contributing factors to this trend. Methods: A literature review was performed using the keywords: maternal mortality, United States, disrespectful maternity care, obstetric violence, provider perspectives, and disparities. Maternal mortality statistics were obtained from the World Health Organization website. Results: Medical factors associated with maternal mortality include increased maternal age and cardiovascular conditions. Social factors include barriers to healthcare access, delays in receiving medical care, reduction in reproductive health services in some states, and non-obstetrical deaths such as accidents, domestic violence, and suicide. Racial inequities and disparities of care are reflected in higher maternal mortality rates for minorities and people of color. Disrespectful maternity care or obstetric violence has been reported worldwide as a factor in delay of lifesaving obstetrical care and reluctance by a pregnant person to access the healthcare system. About one in five US women has reported experiencing mistreatment, varying from verbal abuse to lack of privacy, from coerced procedures to neglect during childbirth. Conclusion: This commentary highlights the importance of inclusion of providers in research on respectful maternity care. Provider burnout, moral distress, limited time, and burden of clinical responsibilities are known challenges to respectful and comprehensive medical care. The association of disrespectful care with poor maternal outcomes needs to be studied. Exploring root causes of disrespectful childbirth care can empower nurses, midwives, and physicians to improve their environment and find solutions to reduce a potential cause of maternal mortality.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Maternal Mortality Rates among Im/Migrant Populations in the United States

  Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2024-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Maternal mortality rates have more than doubled in the U.S over the last two decades, making it one of the few places in the world where maternal mortality is increasing. Differences in maternal mortality among certain races and ethnicities are known but few studies examine maternal mortality among immigrants. Since immigrants represent 13.7% of the U.S. population, it is essential to examine immigrant subsets to understand maternal mortality among this vulnerable population. Methods: A literature search identified 318 articles on maternal mortality and immigrants, with 12 articles from the U.S. The keywords included maternal mortality, United States, migrants, asylum seekers, immigrants, and disparities. Maternal mortality statistics were obtained from the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control. Results: Studies analyzed in this review found an overall lower maternal mortality rate among immigrant women compared to U.S.-born women, except for Hispanic immigrant women. Black women had the highest maternal mortality rate, regardless of immigration status. Conclusion: Although the literature points to lower maternal mortality among immigrants, the data is still somewhat mixed, making it challenging to draw comprehensive conclusions. Additional research examining maternal mortality among Im/migrants in the U.S. is needed to guide future training among healthcare professionals and policymakers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience among Im/Migrant Families: Child Mental Health Outcomes and Psychosocial Mechanisms of Transmission

  Health · 2024-01-01 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Research Background: Psychological stressors leading to poor mental health outcomes accumulate throughout the migration process. The impact of a parent or caregiver’s posttraumatic stress on non-traumatized children is significant and may lead to adverse development and mental health outcomes. Research Objectives: The objective of this review is to explore both the consequences of parental trauma transmission on descendants’ psychological adjustment and well-being, and the mechanisms through which trauma has been transmitted among im/migrant populations. Methods: Criteria outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guided this systemic review. The questions guiding this review are: (a) What are the consequences of parental trauma transmission on the psychological adjustment and well-being of im/migrant offspring? And (b) What are the psychosocial mechanisms of trauma and resilience transmission among im/migrant populations? Each potential study was assessed based on relevance to the review question(s). Results: Parental trauma can lead to adverse mental health outcomes among descendants including increased internalizing and externalizing problems, the adoption of coping behaviors and worldviews, and worsening school performance. Mechanisms that influence trauma transmission include parental trauma symptom severity, the parent-child dyad, social learning, and family stressors. Pathways of resilience exist across socioecological levels to include individual resilience such as coping skills and meaning making, family resilience, structural protective factors, and social and cultural protective factors. Conclusions: Despite the prevalence of traumatic events throughout the migration process, im/migrant families display strong levels of resilience. Mental health services and providers should incorporate a strength-based approach in designing interventions that are culturally responsive and take into accounts the broader ecological contexts in which im/migrant families live.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Monitoring surgical nociception using multisensor physiological models

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2024-09-24 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Monitoring nociception, the flow of information associated with harmful stimuli through the nervous system even during unconsciousness, is critical for proper anesthesia care during surgery. Currently, this is done by tracking heart rate and blood pressure by eye. Monitoring objectively a patient's nociceptive state remains a challenge, causing drugs to often be over- or underdosed intraoperatively. Inefficient management of surgical nociception may lead to more complex postoperative pain management and side effects such as postoperative cognitive dysfunction, particularly in elderly patients. We collected a comprehensive and multisensor prospective observational dataset focused on surgical nociception (101 surgeries, 18,582 min, and 49,878 nociceptive stimuli), including annotations of all nociceptive stimuli occurring during surgery and medications administered. Using this dataset, we developed indices of autonomic nervous system activity based on physiologically and statistically rigorous point process representations of cardiac action potentials and sweat gland activity. Next, we constructed highly interpretable supervised and unsupervised models with appropriate inductive biases that quantify surgical nociception throughout surgery. Our models track nociceptive stimuli more accurately than existing nociception monitors. We also demonstrate that the characterizing signature of nociception learned by our models resembles the known physiology of the response to pain. Our work represents an important step toward objective multisensor physiology-based markers of surgical nociception. These markers are derived from an in-depth characterization of nociception as measured during surgery itself rather than using other experimental models as surrogates for surgical nociception.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of the Factors Associated with Delay in Initiation of Treatment of Advanced Stage Cervical Cancer Patients in Bangladesh

  Journal of Cancer Therapy · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Research Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the third leading cause of female cancer death in Bangladesh. Delay in initiation of treatment in advanced stage cervical cancer patients is an important modifiable risk factor for cancer-related mortality. Identifying elements associated with delay of diagnosis will help reduce barriers to timely treatment of cervical cancer. Research Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze the factors leading to delay in diagnosis and treatment of women with advanced stage cervical cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study analyzed the factors associated with delay in initiation of treatment for 138 patients with advanced-stage cervical cancer from November 2019 to October 2020 at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Advanced-stage cervical cancer patients between the ages of 30 to 70 years were included in this study. Face-to-face interviews with the participants used a predesigned data collection sheet. In this study, three components of delay were identified: primary delay due to patient factors, healthcare provider delay, and healthcare-system infrastructure delay. Factors associated with delay were the independent variables and durations of delay were the outcome variables. Descriptive statistics were expressed as mean + standard deviation, median, percentage, and frequency. Results: One hundred and thirty-eight patients with advanced stage cervical cancer were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 48.74 (±9.57) years. Thirty-four percent of patients were illiterate. More than half (57.25%) of the patients were from lower middle-class families. Delays were categorized as patient-related, healthcare provider delay, and healthcare-system infrastructure related. Patient-related factors included low monthly income, residence in a rural area, embarrassment, fear, lack of knowledge regarding cervical cancer, delay in contacting a spouse, family member or friend prior to the first medical encounter. These elements predicted a primary delay of more than 60 days (P value Conclusion: Three broad categories of delay in diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer: patient-related factors, healthcare provider-related factors, and healthcare-system infrastructure factors were analyzed. Illiteracy, lack of awareness regarding cervical cancer, lack of health-seeking behavior, and poor income status were associated with patient-related primary delay. Nonperformance of speculum examination in the initial consultation, misdiagnosis, inappropriate management, and delay in referral to the cancer treatment center by primary healthcare providers were the contributing factors for healthcare provider delay. Lack of availability and accessibility of health services and limitation of radiotherapy resources led to healthcare-system infrastructure delays. All three categories of delay must be addressed through the education of communities, the gynecologic training of community healthcare providers, the improvement of medical infrastructure, and the increase of medical resources.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Providers’ Perceptions of Respectful and Disrespectful Maternity Care at Massachusetts General Hospital

  Reproductive Medicine · 2024-10-18 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background/Objectives: Disrespectful care of birthing persons during childbirth has been observed as a global issue and a possible factor influencing maternal morbidity and mortality. While birthing persons’ experiences of mistreatment in childbirth have been examined, perceptions from obstetrical providers of respectful maternity care have been understudied. Methods: A mixed-method cross-sectional study was conducted in Boston from April 2023 to January 2024 among 46 labor and delivery physicians, midwives, and nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital. The survey evaluated their observation of disrespectful care, the performance of respectful care, and stress and support factors influencing respectfulness of care. Results: The most reported observed disrespectful behaviors were dismissing patients’ pain (87.0%), discriminatory care based on physical characteristics (67.4%) and race (65.2%), and uncomfortable vaginal examinations (65.2%). Respondents self-reported very high levels of respectful maternity care performance. Reported barriers to respectful care included workload (76.1%) and fatigue (60.9%). Conclusions: Disrespectful care in childbirth is an issue reported by healthcare providers. Implicit bias and the working conditions of health care providers are factors in disrespectful care. This information can be used to strategize future training and other areas of intervention to improve maternity care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Marcela G. del Carmen

  218 shared

• Whitfield B. Growdon

  Harvard University

  190 shared

• John O. Schorge

  University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center

  181 shared

• David M. Boruta

  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

  132 shared

• J. Alejandro Rauh‐Hain

  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

  86 shared

• Costas Pitris

  University of Cyprus

  82 shared

• Mark E. Brezinski

  Brigham and Women's Hospital

  79 shared

• James G. Fujimoto

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  78 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Astronomy

  Harvard University

  1999

• B.A., Physics

  Harvard University

  1994