Christopher Godfrey, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Pace University’s New York City campus, is challenging traditional views of healthcare by emphasizing the importance of patient experience and communication. His research urges healthcare providers to look beyond clinical interactions and consider the broader context of a patient’s life.
“Patients carry a lifetime of experiences that shape how they interact with providers, how they trust institutions, and how they make decisions,” Godfrey said.
Godfrey notes that marginalized groups—including Black and brown individuals, those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, women, older adults, and people living with HIV/AIDS—have often been overlooked in studies on healthcare system experiences. He and his student team at Pace aim to address this gap through their work at the Center for Urban Health and Education Research Lab (CUHER), which operates within the university’s Psychology department.
As director of CUHER and head of Pace’s PhD program in Clinical Psychology – Health Care Emphasis, Godfrey works with communities to study how medically disenfranchised populations make health decisions. By combining self-reported patient experiences with physiological data, he hopes to amplify voices that are frequently ignored in medical settings.
“It’s validating,” he said, “because it means these conversations belong in primary care, not just in a specialist’s office after something has gone wrong.”
One area of focus for Godfrey is sexual health discussions within primary care. He argues these conversations are often limited to risk factors rather than addressing topics like pleasure or discomfort that are central to overall health. His research also examines how lesbian, gay, and bisexual patients decide what information to share with their providers.
“Sometimes it’s full disclosure, sometimes it’s partial, sometimes it’s silence. What matters is that people are constantly evaluating—is this someone I can trust with this part of myself?” Godfrey said.
He believes these varied approaches show resilience among patients who must navigate an imperfect system.
Godfrey has also researched mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He found family support was more critical for frontline workers’ resilience than institutional recognition. In particular, he highlights “medical families”—households where multiple members work in healthcare—as having unique ways of supporting each other.
“We talk about military families. Well, there are medical families too. They support each other in ways outsiders can’t,” he said.
Communication remains central throughout his work. Whether between patients and doctors or within families and communities, effective communication influences outcomes significantly. Godfrey recognizes not all patients have resources or time to prepare for medical appointments as thoroughly as some might wish.
Quipping at his own behavior as a patient—sending journal articles to his physician before a visit—and describing himself as “a provider’s nightmare,” he said, ”Not everyone has the time, access, or background to do that research. My heart goes out to them.”
He envisions new strategies for supporting vulnerable patients by teaching communication skills or providing advocates who can accompany them during appointments.
Godfrey concludes that true improvement requires listening: “You don’t have a healthcare system without people,” he said. “And their voices have to be at the center.”
