CCFP 25th Anniversary Spotlight: Q&A with Ben Goodman

As part of the Center for Child and Family Policy's 25th Anniversary celebration, we are honoring faculty, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the Center's work, culture, and impact.

Ben Goodman is a research scientist at the Center. Read on to learn more about his work at the center, his favorite local restaurant, and how his research has been impactful.

How did you first become involved with the Center for Child and Family Policy?

I joined the Center as a Research Scientist in July 2010, having recently completed my PhD in Human Development and Family Studies. I was hired by Ken Dodge to lead the evaluation of a new postpartum home visiting program called Durham Connects (now Family Connects).

Can you share more about your involvement with Family Connects and how your role/work has evolved with the growth of the program?

For the first 12 years of my time at the Center, I oversaw data and evaluation for Family Connects at Duke. In the beginning, this work was relatively small in scale, consisting of a single randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Durham with implementation evaluation and a single time point outcome evaluation. Based on promising findings from that initial work, my role grew in several ways. First, we received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to continue following families in the first RCT impact evaluation study for another five years (and, eventually, through child age 12 years). Second, we pursued opportunities to better understand Family Connects implementation and impact through new trials. This work included leading evaluation for a second RCT in Durham and one of the first disseminations of Family Connects to four rural counties in eastern North Carolina. Finally, published results from our first RCT resulted in opportunities for the dissemination of Family Connects to other communities across the country. My roles varied, but primarily included overseeing the team, providing data, and providing support to sites and dissemination of our research on Family Connects. I was also co-director of the program for several years prior to the formation of Family Connects International in 2016.

Since FCI transitioned to an independent non-profit in 2022, I continue to be involved in their impact evaluation research at Duke, and I am also leading evaluation for a new program, Community Navigation, which seeks to expand upon our work with Family Connects to provide a continuum of support for families beginning in pregnancy and continuing through the transition to kindergarten.

What is something that you want people to know about the Family Connects program?

Family Connects is for every family with a new baby. The first few weeks after the birth of a child is a time when all families can benefit from support, regardless of background, experience, and resources.

What is one way you’ve seen your research impact policy at a local, state, or federal level?

In collaboration with Ken Dodge, Karen O’Donnell, and Robert Murphy, our published research on the first Family Connects RCT in Durham resulted in Family Connects being recognized as an evidence-based home visiting model by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. This designation greatly enhanced visibility for Family Connects and allowed states to apply for federal funding to implement the model. Currently, the Family Connects model is being implemented in over 40 sites across 20 states.

What are you most proud of from your career at CCFP?

I am most proud of being part of a team that has taken Family Connects from a single-site RCT to a national program that has supported over 100,000 families with newborns across the United States over the past eight years. This work has been shown to improve population-level outcomes for children and families in a variety of ways, including reducing risk for child abuse and neglect, improving parenting and parent mental health, reducing child use of emergency medical care, as well as reducing disparities in these outcomes across racial and ethnic groups.

What is one of your favorite stories or memories from your years at CCFP?

One of my favorite memories from my years at CCFP was when I was invited to present at the Japanese Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect annual conference in Kurashiki, Japan. In addition to having an opportunity to share our Family Connects research with an international audience, I also had a chance to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka before the conference with my family. It was an amazing experience, and I hope I can return in the somewhat near future.

What’s something people might not know about you?

I met my wife as an undergraduate student because I played my music too loudly in my apartment. Her roommate (who I shared a wall with) eventually got tired of banging on my wall and decided to come over to meet her neighbors. My wife and I met shortly after (yes, she was the girl next door).

What’s one of your favorite local restaurants and why?

My favorite restaurant I go to regularly is Carrburitos. They have great tacos and burritos, my wife and I have been going there since we were undergraduate students, and one of my daughters first foods was their guacamole.

What is your favorite genre of music, tv, and/or film? What are you currently listening to or watching?

I mostly watch sports in my free time. Carolina basketball and football, plus Leeds United soccer.

If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing instead?

If I had not discovered psychology and research, I would probably be a lawyer or working in a craft brewery.

Easy last question – what’s your favorite beer?

My favorite beer I can get somewhat regularly is King Sue from Toppling Goliath Brewing Company. It’s a Double IPA.