John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study

William C. Goedel, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. He is a social epidemiologist with significant methodological expertise in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to guide public health policy and practice. His research uses spatial analytical techniques to quantify the burden of many of the United States’ most pressing public health challenges across neighborhoods to identify areas that are overburdened and underserved. This applied research is often conducted in close collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Health, covering a range of health conditions, including asthma, cancer, COVID-19, drug overdose, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and vaccine-preventable infections. 

Goedel is a faculty affiliate at the Pandemic Center, where he leads efforts to increase capacities for data-driven decision-making during public health emergencies among staff at local health departments and their community partners. In addition, he leads a program of research in historical epidemiology, which aims to leverage archival vital statistics records to improve our understanding of past public health challenges. His current work is examining the epidemiology of the Great Influenza Epidemic (1918–1920) in Rhode Island.