Tawara D. Goode
Director, Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities,
Director, Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence
Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Georgetown University Medical Center
Tawara Goode is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She has been on the faculty of the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD), for over 30 years and has served in many capacities. She has degrees in early childhood education and education and human development.
Professor Goode has extensive experience as a principal investigator for federal and private sector grants and contracts. A primary area of focus for Professor Goode is national level efforts to advance and sustain cultural and linguistic competence within an array of settings including but not limited to institutions of higher education, health, mental health, and other human service systems. Professor Goode is the director of the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC). The NCCC was established in 1995 and Professor Goode has served as director for 27 years. The mission of the NCCC is to increase the capacity of health care and mental health care programs to design, implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems to address growing diversity, persistent disparities, and to promote health and mental health equity. Professor Goode is acknowledged as a thought leader in the area of cultural and linguistic competence and for building the NCCC into a nationally and internationally recognized and award winning program. She had a primary role in developing curricula, assessment instruments, professional development series, and other resources that support cultural and linguistic competence. Professor Good has been an invited scholar, lecturer, and visiting faculty: a) nationally to schools of medicine, public health, education, research institutes, professional associations, and state and national government; and b) internationally in Australia, South America, and the United Kingdom.
Professor Goode is also the director of the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (GUCEDD). The mission of the GUCEDD is to advance self-determination among the diversity of people with developmental and other disabilities and their families, throughout the life course, and advocate for their full participation in all aspects of community life. In this capacity, she is responsible for short-term and ongoing programs for persons at-risk for and with developmental and other disabilities and their families. Her duties include program development, administration, and teaching within Georgetown University, local community settings, and nationally. She is currently or has been the principal investigator for five grants of national significance from the Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Administration on Disabilities, Administration for Community Living within the US Department of Health and Human Services. They include: 1) the Leadership Institute for Cultural Diversity and Cultural and Linguistic Competence (completed 2/20); Community of Practice on Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Developmental Disabilities (completed 8/22); Embedding Cultural and Linguistic Competence in UCEDD Curricula and Training Activities (completed 2/19); Transition Supports for Parents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Partnership (completed 6/30/21); and Transition Implementation Supports for Parents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Partnership (10/21-10/24). Each of these grants was designed to: 1) increase the number and capacity of leaders to advance and sustain cultural and linguistic competence to respond to the growing cultural diversity among people with the lived experience of developmental disabilities; 2) develop curricula and professional development for current and future professionals that will teach, provide supports and services, and conduct research with and about people with the lived experience of developmental disabilities, their families, and the communities in which they live; 3) implement cultural and linguistic competence as evidence-based practices in individual, organizational, and system efforts to advance equity; and 4) convene a partnership in the District of Columbia to develop and implement a sustainable plan that addresses the unique needs of parents with IDD to support the transition of their children with and without disabilities throughout the life course.
Professor Goode continues to conduct research on cultural and linguistic competence and its role in addressing health and health care disparities. Selected examples of studies include: 1) a collaborative effort to create validated instruments to measure cultural and linguistic competence in health care settings; 2) a multi-site project to examine health disparities for populations at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and disability; and 3) a community-engaged study to examine if barriers to participation in research by racial and ethnic groups (other than non-Hispanic White) can be reduced by “truth and reconciliation” community forums designed to acknowledge past injustices and exploitation committed by researchers and research institutions and to foster reconciliation. Professor Goode served as a Co-PI for a Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study entitled “Reconciling the Past and Changing the Future: Engaging Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Researchers in Comparative Effectiveness Research,” and as investigator for a PCORI supplement entitled “Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Young Adults with IDD-MH and their Families: An Analytical Framework and Database to Identify Service Experiences and Outcomes Across Diverse Populations in Real Time” (completed 1/31/22). Most recently, Professor Goode is partnering as a co-investigator with the University of New Hampshire, Center for START Services, Johns Hopkins University Kennedy Krieger Institute, and the University of Florida to implement a five-year PCORI study entitled “Evaluation of telehealth services on mental health outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental Disabilities.” She has in the past and continues to serve on a number of research grants including but not limited to Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical Translational Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School CTSA, and the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Health Disparities in the Nation’s Capital.
Professor Goode successfully competed for two state contracts to: (1) conduct a multi-year independent evaluation of the Service Access and Equity Grant Program, administered by the California Department of Developmental Services; and (2) plan, implement, and evaluate a three-year project entitled “Advancing Cultural and Linguistic Competence, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: OPWDD-Georgetown University NCCC Partnership for Systems Change,” New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities.
Moreover, in collaboration with partners, successfully competed for the following grant/contracts:
- University of Connecticut UCEDD (prime), Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Development Equity Center, a five-year grant funded by US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, Office of Special Education Programs (2022-2027).
- University of Cincinnati UCEDD (prime), National Center for Disability, Equity, and Intersectionality, a five-year grant funded by US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (2022-2027).
- University of Syracuse, Including Adults with Intellectual Disability in Precision Medicine Research - Project ENGAGE, funded by National Institute for Child and Human Development (NICHD) & National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (2022-2027).
Professor Goode holds an adjunct appointment with the University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Since 2012, she provided consultation to assist the University of Sydney to establish a National Centre for Cultural Competence in partnership with the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Indigenous Strategy and Services. For the past ten years she has assisted the University of Sydney in faculty development, curricula adaptation, community engagement, and research focused on cultural competence in academic settings.
Professor Goode’s publications include peer reviewed articles, book chapters, policy papers, guides, and instruments that support cultural and linguistic competence in a variety of human service and academic settings. Professor Goode has and continues to serve on numerous boards, commissions, and advisory groups at the local, regional, and national levels that are concerned with the health, mental health, and well-being of racially and ethnically diverse populations. She serves on the Board of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and is the past president (2021-2022). Professor Goode and the NCCC have received numerous awards for academic achievements.
Georgetown University Course Lectures/Classes
- Course HEST-355: Health Equity Think Tank. School of Nursing and Health Studies, Health Studies Department 2 ½ hour lecture entitled “Cultural and Linguistic Competence: What does it mean for health professionals,” March 3, 2022. .
- Course: Three-Week Medical Academy, School of Continuing Studies, “Cultural Competence: An Introduction for Students of the Social Medicine and Public Policy,” June 29, 2022.
- Course UNXD-201: Challenges in Childhood and Society, “Cultural and Linguistic Competence: What do they mean in Early Childhood Education and Services,” October 27, 2022.
- Course: GU Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities “Our Foundation: Conceptual Frameworks, Practices, and Values that Underpin GU LEND,” September 9, 2022.
Other: GU Faculty Development
- GU School of Medicine, Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Committee, “Getting on the Same Page: A Quick Review of DEI Terms and Concepts for FDI 2.0,” December 14, 2022.
Georgetown-Howard University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS)
- Course CLTR 800-101: Introduction to Community Engagement in Research, Masters of Science in Clinical and Translational Science, Module 3: Community, culture, and social determinants of health, “Cultural Competence: Implications for Community Engaged Research,” February 9, 2022.
Selected National Invited Keynotes, Lectures, Presentations (2021-2022)
Professor Goode has conducted over 300 invited presentations at national, international meetings, state and regional meetings in the past decade. The following are highlighted as exemplary of the meeting audiences and themes from 2021-2022.
- Invited Presenter. University of California-Davis, MIND Institute, Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, “Understanding and Responding to the Cultural and Linguistic Differences in the Conduct of Neurodevelopmental and other Disabilities Research,” December 9, 2022.
- Invited Presenter. National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services Annual Conference, “So Many Concepts Related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: What do they mean in the IDD Space?” November 4, 2022.
- Invited Presenter. Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education, “Utilizing CADRE's Cultural and Linguistic Competence (CLC) Self-Assessment for Dispute Resolution Systems to Maximize Opportunities for Stakeholder Engagement,” October 26, 2022.
- Invited Keynote. Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability Rehabilitation & Research, American Institutes for Research, 2021 Virtual Knowledge Translation Conference, “Engaging Communities that Experience Historical Trauma at the Nexus of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Culture,” October 2021, virtual.
- Invited Keynote. Easterseals Public Policy Symposium, “The Essential Role of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Supports and Services for Persons with Intellectual, Developmental, and other Disabilities and their Families,” September 28, 2022, virtual.
- Invited Presenter. Federal Interagency Committee on Disability Research Symposium, “Understanding and Responding to the Cultural and Linguistic Differences in the Conduct of Disability Research,” September 15, 2022, virtual.
Selected National Invited Keynotes, Lectures, Presentations (2021-2022)
- Invited Lecture. Health Career Connections, 2022 Scholars, “Cultural and Linguistic Competence: Essential Areas of Knowledge and Skills for Aspiring Health Professionals,” July 13, 2022, virtual.
- Invited Presenter. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Annual Conference, “Advancing and Maintaining Cultural and Linguistic Competence Requires Organizational Change,” June 13, 2022.
- Invited Keynote. The Arc New York, Beyond the Comfort Zone: Understanding and Eradicating Injustice, Racism, and Inequality in the Field of Developmental Disabilities, "Achieving Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the IDD Space: The Essential Role of Cultural and Linguistic Competence," May 18, 2022, virtual.
- Invited Presenter. Alliance Cancer Control Program Education Session, Health Disparities Committee, “The Essential Role of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Clinical Trial Access,” May 13, 2022.
- Invited Presenter. Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire UCEDD, National Training Institute, “What’s Getting in Your Way? Leadership to Advance and Sustain Cultural and Linguistic Competence,” May 2022, virtual.
- Invited lecture. State University of New York, Leadership Education in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, “Cultural and linguistic Competence: Implications for Children and Youth with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and their Families,” April 2022, virtual.
- Invited Presenter. National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire UCEDD, National Advisory Council for PCORI Research project (Evaluation of telehealth services on mental health outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental Disabilities, services “What is cultural and linguistic competence and what does it mean in IDD-MH Research? April 2022, virtual.
- Invited Presenter. Council on Dispute Resolution in Special Education, “Engaging Diverse Communities and Stakeholders in Special Education and Early Intervention Dispute Resolutions: The Essential Role of Cultural Brokering,” March 2022, virtual.
- Invited Lecture. University of New Mexico, Dr. Jane Blumenfeld Endowed Lecture in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Special Education Diagnosis and Assessment, “Reconciling the Past, Changing the Future: Meaningful Engagement of Students with Disabilities and their Families in Special Education,” March 2022, virtual.
- Invited Keynote. Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability Rehabilitation & Research, American Institutes for Research, 2021 Virtual Knowledge Translation Conference, “Engaging Communities that Experience Historical Trauma at the Nexus of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Culture,” October 2021, virtual.
- Invited Lecture. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Fall Lecture Series, “The Essential Role of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Advancing Equity,” October 2021, virtual.
- Keynote. University of New Hampshire. National Research Consortium on Mental Health in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, “Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in IDD-MH Research: What’s getting in our way?” October 2021, virtual.
- Keynote. Reinventing Quality Conference, American Association on Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, “Taking a Deeper Dive: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the IDD Space,” August 2021, virtual.
- Invited lecture. Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Autism Care National Conference, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Health Equity: Untangling the Web, July 2021, virtual.
- Keynote. National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, “Advancing Equity in the Current Climate: Harnessing the Role of DD Councils,” July 2021, virtual.
Selected National Invited Keynotes, Lectures, Presentations (2021-2022)
- Plenary panel. AHRC New York City, Eliminating Compounded Disparities for People with Disabilities in a Year of COVID-19: A Call to Action Spring Symposium, “Setting the Stage for Understanding the Political Determinants of Health and their Impact on Persons with Disabilities during COVID-19,” May 2021, virtual.
- Invited Keynote. Association of Social Work Boards, Annual Conference, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Implications for Social Work Regulation,” April 2021, virtual.
- Invited Keynote. Arizona Disability Law Center, National Conference African American on Disabilities,
“Equity at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, and Disability,” February 2021, virtual.
Selected publications
- Kramer, J. M., Guerrero, F., Caoili, A., Beasley, J. B., Kalb, L., Klein, A., Goode, T. D. (in press). Telehealth information and communication technology access for family caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Disability & Health.
- Goode, T., Nguyen, T., Bershadsky, J., & Stewart, J. (Eds.) Impact: Engaging Communities Underrepresented in Disability Research, Vol 35, No 3, winter 2022/23. University of Minnesota, Institute for Community Integration. ISSN 2835-1711
- Goode, T. A Cultural Framework for IDD Research. In Impact: Engaging Communities Underrepresented in Disability Research, Vol 35, No 3, winter 2022/23. University of Minnesota, Institute for Community Integration. ISSN 2835-1711
- Goode, Tawara D.; Ajisope, Oluwatosin; Harrison, Sharonlyn; Yimer, Betelhem Eshetu; Perry, Deborah; and Jones, Wendy (2023) "Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Developmental Disabilities: The Essential Role of Leadership for Cultural and Linguistic Competence," Developmental Disabilities Network Journal: Vol. 3: Issue 1, Article 14.
- Goode, Tawara D. (2022) Ensuring Language Access and Linguistic Competence: A Guide for Researchers. Washington, DC: Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
- Bradley, V.J., Kiersteiner, D., Goode, T.D., Bonardi, A., Giordana, S., Bourne, M.L., Vegas, L., (2021). What do NCI Data Tell Us About Significant Racial and Ethnic Disparities Across Quality of Life and Health Indicators? HSRI & NASDDDS. Cambridge, MA.
- Susan M. Havercamp, Gloria L. Krahn, Sheryl A. Larson, Glenn Fujiura, Tawara D. Goode, Barbara L. Kornblau, and the National Health Surveillance for IDD Workgroup (2019) Identifying People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in National Population Surveys. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: October 2019, Vol. 57, No. 5, pp. 376-389.
- Nnaji, C. & Boone, M. & Pugnaire, M. P. & Goode, T. & Wellman, S. & Gunn, A. R. & Jenkins, B. & McNickles, J. & Gardiner, B. & Jerry, M. & Santos, M. & Powell, L. & Person, S. & Allison, J. (2018). An Innovative Simulation-based Community-engaged Intervention for Training Research Assistants in Culturally Appropriate Informed Consent. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action 12(3), 247-262.
- Yee, S., Breslin, M.L., Goode, T.D., Havercamp, S.M., Horner-Johnson, W., Iezzoni, L., & Krahn, G. (2018). Compounded Disparities: Health Equity at the Intersection of Disability, Race, and Ethnicity. Washington, DC: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- Goode, T., Jones, W., & Christopher, J. Brown, I., Responding to Cultural and Linguistic Differences among People with Intellectual Disability (2017). In Percy, M., Wehmeyer, M. L., Shogren, K. A., & Fung, A. (Eds.) A comprehensive guide to intellectual and developmental disabilities (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing, pp. 389-400.
- Wallington, SF., Chiranjeev, D., Sheppard, V., Goode, TD., Oppong, BA., Dodson, EE. Hamilton, R., Adams-Campbell, LL. Enrolling Minority and Underserved Populations in Cancer Clinical Research. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. January 2016, Volume 50, Issue 1, 111-117.
- Horner-Johnson, W., Fujiura, G. & Goode, T. (Eds.) Healthcare at the Intersection of Disability, Race, and Ethnicity. Medical Care October 2014, Volume 52, Issue 10, Supplement 3.
- Horner-Johnson, W., Fujiura, G., & Goode, T., Promoting a new research agenda. Health disparities research at the intersection of disability, race, and ethnicity. Medical Care, October 2014, Volume 52, Issue 10, S1-S2.
- Goode, T., Carter-Pokras, O., Horner-Johnson, W., & Yee, Silvia. Parallel tracks: reflections on the need for collaborative health disparities research on race/ethnicity and disability. Medical Care October 2014, Volume 52, Issue 10, S3-S8.
- Peterson-Besse, J. J., Horner-Johnson, W., Walsh, E., Goode, T., & Wheeler, B. Barriers to Health Care Access at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, and Disability: A Scoping Review of the Literature. Medical Care, October 2014, Volume 52, Issue 10, S51-S63.
- Goode, T. & Jack, L. Eds. The Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes: Infusing Policy and System Change with Local Experience. Health Promotion Practice Special Supplement. Vol. 15, Supplement 2, November 2014.
- Haywood, S., Goode, T., Gao, Y., Smith, K., Bronheim, S., Flocke, S., & Zyzanski, S. Psychometric evaluation of a cultural competency assessment instrument for health professionals. Medical Care, Volume 24, Number 2, February 2014, 671-687.
- Watson MR., Kaltman S, Townsend TG, Goode TD, Campoli M. A Collaborative Mental Health Research Agenda in a Community of Poor and Underserved Latinos. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, May 2013.
- Goode, T., Wells, N., & Kyu, Rhee (2009). Family-Centered, Culturally and Linguistically Competent Care: Essential Components of the Medical Home. In Turchi, R. & Antonelli, R. (Eds.) Pediatric Annals Special Supplement on the Medical Home. Thoroughfare, NJ: Slack Incorporated.