PhD Student

Behavioural Epidemiology and Interventions in Young People

Work and interests

María Goodall was a PhD student based at the UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR). She worked on primordial prevention of childhood obesity and promotion of childhood physical activity, in particular active travel.

María’s research focused on the effects of the social environment on child obesity and physical activity. Her primary aim was to explore environmental and psycho-social factors that through interventions could promote physical activity, especially active travel, and reduce obesity in children.

In addition to her own studies, María provided supervision for the Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine (ISBM) and Social Context of Health and Illness (SCHI), two undergraduate medical courses at the University of Cambridge. She has also lectured second and third year students at Anglia Ruskin University on Exercise and Health Pscyhology, as well as Exercise and Health Promotion. When time allows, Maria also teaches Cambridge MPhil Epidemiology and Public Health students.

Background and experience

María received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where she studied Biological Anthropology with a emphasis on Mind, Brain, and Behaviour research. Later she came to the other Cambridge and completed an MPhil in Public Health. In the interim between undergraduate and the Masters, María taught A-level sciences in England and Earth sciences in Puerto Rico.