Dr. Gary Goldfield
Clinical Scientist
613-737-7600 x3288
ggoldfield@cheo.on.ca

Position and Rank:

• Clinical Scientist, Healthy Active Living & Obesity (HALO) Research Group
• Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute
• Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
• Cross-Appointed to the School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
• Cross-Appointed to the School of Psychology, University of Ottawa
• Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University

Degrees:

• Hon. BA in Psychology, Carleton University
• MA in psychology, Carleton University
• Ph.D. in Psychology,
• C. Psych. (registered clinical psychologist)

Teaching areas:

• Physical activity
• Obesity

Awards:

• New investigator Award, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Senate medal nomination, doctoral dissertation in Psychology, Carleton University
• Dean’s list honour roll

Research Laboratory:

Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute

Research Interests:

• Child obesity treatment and prevention
• Evaluating interventions designed to Increase Physical activity in children and youth
• Physical Activity and Mental health in Children and Youth
• Psychological correlates of obesity in children and youth
• Psychological and biological determinants of eating behaviour and food rewards

Projects Recently Completed:

• Effects of Virtual Reality Immersion on Physical Activity in Obese Youth (CDA)
• Behavioural Engineering of Physical Activity in Obese children: A Randomized Controlled Trial: (CIHR)
• Effects of weight status on body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and depression in adolescents (CHEO Centre of Excellence IN Mental Health)
• Effects of Family-based Behavioural Intervention for Child Obesity Delivered via Internet
• Effects of Ritalin on food intake, food reward and energy expenditure (CIHR)
• Effects of a Brief Media Literacy Intervention for Body Dissatisfaction (Lab study)
• Effects of stress on food reinforcement in binge eaters (lab study)
• Determinants of Food Reward (epidemiological survey)
• Validation of a self-report measure of the reinforcing value of food (lab study)
• Weight-based teasing and psychosocial adjustment in adolescents.(Epidemiological study)
• Dopamine Polymorphisms and Rate of Weight Gain in Pregnant Women (lab study)
• The Effects of Food Deprivation on Food Hedonics and the Relative-Reinforcing Value of Food
• Y KIDS-FIT – A pilot program for overweight children involving physical Activity and nutrition

Projects in Progress:

• Healthy Opportunities for Preschoolers: A randomized Controlled Trial to Increase Physical Activity and Improve nutrition (Principal Investigator)
• Healthy eating, aerobic and resistance training in youth (HEARTY) – A randomized Controlled Trial (Co-Principal Investigator)
• The Ontario Prospective Longitudinal Study on Risk Factors for Eating and Weight Disorders in Adolescence (REAL study) (Co-Investigator)
• A hospital-based multidisciplinary approach to the management of pediatric obesity and its associated medical and psychological conditions (Co-Investigator)
• Prevalence of Markers of Insulin Resistance Among Offspring Exposed to Gestational Diabetes: A 13-17 Year Follow-up study of a RCT cohort (Co-Investigator)
• Establishment of Pediatric Obesity Cohort: Physiological and Psychological Determinants of Impaired Glucose Homeostasis (Co-Investigator)
• Appetite Signaling Proteins and Energy Intake in Obese Adolescents with Binge Eating Disorder (Co-Investigator)
• Type 1 Diabetes, Aerobic & Resistance Exercise (T1-DARE) (Co-Investigator)
• Resistance Exercise in Active Adults with Diabetes – Type 1 (READI) (Co-Investigator)
• Critical Periods of Body Weight Regulation: A women’s Health Perspective (Co-Investigator)
• Evaluation of the “Freggie Friday” Program in Primary School Children (Co-Investigator)
• The Maternal Obesity Management (MOM) Trial: A lifestyle intervention during pregnancy to minimize downstream obesity (Co-investigator)

Administrative and Professional Activities/Interests:

• Administrate grants and contracts
• Supervise undergraduate and graduate students
• Grant Reviewer for various funding agencies
• Manuscript reviewer for peer reviewed journals
• CHEO science sub-committee member for Grant Review
• Presentations in community

Mini Biography:

Dr. Goldfield has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Psychology, and a doctoral degree in psychology from Carleton University. He completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Behavioural medicine and child obesity with Dr. Leonard Epstein at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Goldfield is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Human Kinetics, and Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and is an Adjunct Research professor of Psychology at Carleton University. He is also a registered psychologist and has a small private practice in the community. Dr. Goldfield has published widely in the areas of child obesity, physical activity, eating behaviour, and food reward. Dr. Goldfield, while at the CHEO Research Institute, has conducted several clinical trials examining novel ways of getting overweight and obese children more physically active and less sedentary using behaviour modification principles. He is the proud father of 2 incredible children; Diana and Rachel.

Other Tidbits:

Dr. Goldfield has been an avid tennis player for 30 years.

He is a member of:

• The Canadian Psychological Association
• The Ottawa Academy of Psychologists
• The Obesity Society (North American Association for the Study of Obesity)
• Canadian Obesity Network