Laurie Hoffman-Goetz

Distinguished Professor Emerita

Contact information

E-mail: lhgoetz@uwaterloo.ca

Education

BA (S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton)

MA (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)

MPH (The George Washington University)

PhD (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Harvard Medical School; New England Deaconess Hospital)

Cancer Prevention Fellow (National Cancer Institute, U.S.A.)

Certificate in Conflict Management and Mediation (Conrad Grebel University College)

Teaching interests

  • Health and risk communication
  • Immunobiology and public health

Research interests

  • In Public Health:  health literacy, public health risk communication, consumer health informatics, health education, public understanding of science, cultural competency in health communication.
  • In Biohealth:  exercise and stress immunology

Selected publications

(* former graduate student co-author)

  • Hoffman-Goetz L, Donelle L*, Ahmed R.  Health literacy in Canada: A primer for students. Canadian Scholars’ Press, Inc., Toronto, 2014, ISBN: 978-1-55130-559-2.   (textbook for public health students and public health practitioners) 
  • McWhirter JE*, Hoffman-Goetz L.  Skin deep: coverage of skin cancer and recreational tanning in Canadian women’s magazines (2000-2012).  Canadian Journal of Public Health, 2015; 106(4): e236-43. doi: 10.17269/cjph.106.4795.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26285196
  • Bravo CA*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Tweeting about prostate and testicular cancers: What are individuals saying in their discussions about the 2013 Movember Canada campaign?  Journal of Cancer Education, 2015; April 25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25903054
  • McWhirter JE*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Coverage of skin cancer and recreational tanning in North American magazines before and after the landmark 2006 International Agency for Research on Cancer report. BMC Public Health, 2015; 15: 169. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1511-1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4342877/
  • Flaherty D*, Hoffman-Goetz L, Arocha JF. What is consumer health informatics? A systematic review of published definitions. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 2015; 30(2): 397-410. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dat031. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24801616
  • Deignan B*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Emotional tone of Ontario newspaper articles on the health effects of industrial wind turbines before and after policy change. Journal of Health Communication, 2015; 20(5): 531-538. Doi:10.1080 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25806896
  • Flaherty D*, Hoffman-Goetz L, Arocha JF. What is consumer health informatics? A systematic review of published definitions. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 2015; 30(2): 397-410. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dat031. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24801616

  • McWhirter JE*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Visual images for patient skin self-examination and melanoma detection: a systematic review of published studies.  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2013; 69(1): 47-55. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2013.01.031. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23474227

  • Pervaiz N*, Hoffman-Goetz L.  Immune cell inflammatory cytokine responses differ between central and systemic compartments in response to acute exercise in mice.  Exercise Immunology Reviews, 2012; 18: 142-157. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22876726

  • Packer N*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Exercise training reduces inflammatory mediators in the intestinal tract of healthy older adult mice. Canadian Journal on Aging, 2012; 52(2): 202-211. doi: 10.1017/S0714980812000104. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647663

  • Thomson MD*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Application of the health literacy framework to diet-related cancer prevention conversations of older immigrant women to Canada. Health Promotion International, 2012; 27(1): 33-44. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dar019. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21421578

  • Todd L*, Hoffman-Goetz L.  Predicting health literacy among English-as-a-second language older Chinese immigrant women to Canada: comprehension of colon cancer prevention information. Journal of Cancer Education, 2011; 26(2): 326-332. doi: 10.1007/s13187-010-0162-2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20852979

  • Hoffman-Goetz L, Pervaiz N*, Packer N*, Guan J. Freewheel training decreases pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression in mouse intestinal lymphocytes. Brain, Behavior & Immunity, 2010; 24(7): 1105-1115. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.05.001. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20510350

  • Hoffman-Goetz L, Meissner HI, Thomson MD*.  Literacy and cancer anxiety as predictors of health status: An exploratory study. Journal of Cancer Education, 2009; 24(3): 218-224. doi:  10.1080/08858190902910871. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19526411

  • Thomson MD*, Hoffman-Goetz L. Defining and measuring acculturation: A systematic review of public health studies with Hispanic populations in the United States. Social Science & Medicine, 2009; 69(7): 983-991. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.05.011.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1952505

Awards and distinctions

  • 2015 Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, University of Waterloo
  • 2011 Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo
  • 1997 President’s Lecturer, The American College of Sports Medicine
  • 1996 Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine

Selected professional activities and networks