Lauren Goldberg, MD

Hometown: Multiple! But most recently Chicago, IL

College/Medical School: Emory University/University of Central Florida College of Medicine

Residency: University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital

Career/Research Interests: Decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, obesity prevention and management, school-based interventions, nutrition, school food policy, and social determinants of health

Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, traveling, A Capella, volleyball, anything outside

S.O./Married/Kids/Pets: I am married to Cesar Menchaca a Pediatric Critical Care Fellow and we have a new puppy Rumba.  

Travel/Languages: I speak some Spanish! I have lived abroad in Australia, South Africa, and the Dominican Republic and traveled to New Zealand, Israel, Peru, Central America, and most recently Italy!

Likes About UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh: My interest in obesity prevention began during my year in the Philadelphia Health Corps, based in an elementary school. I saw first-hand the effects of healthcare disparities, the obstacles my students and their families faced and their limited access to basic resources in the form of food deserts and safe places for exercise.  More importantly, I was alerted to the power of community-based programs/interventions to help decrease these health disparities and empower students with the tools to promote a healthy lifestyle. During my General Academic Pediatric Fellowship, I am able see patients in our Healthy Habits for Life Clinic and obtain my Masters in Clinical Research. With these tools, I hope to advocate for patients by utilizing community-based participatory research to both 1) discover creative solutions to overcome social, economic or environmental barriers that hinder children and their families’ ability to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle and 2) demonstrate effectiveness of school-based interventions to inform school-level policy and practice. I am lucky to be at the University of Pittsburgh because of the amazing mentors and colleagues who care about my professional and personal development and the elaborate, well-established community and school connections! We have a writer’s group, interdisciplinary fellows conference, and countless opportunities for professional development and collaboration!