Melanie A. Gold, DO

  • Professor of Pediatrics and Population and Family Health at CUMC
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Overview

Melanie, A. Gold, DO, DABMA, DMQ is a Special Lecturer and former Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Section of Adolescent Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, as well as a Special Lecturer and former Professor in the Department of Population & Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. She was the Medical Director of New York Presbyterian’s seven School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) from 2014 to 2022. During her tenure at the SBHCs, Dr. Gould expended sexual and reproductive health services to include long acting reversible contraception (LARCs) and pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP and PrEP) for HIV prevention. She also expanded pediatric integrative health care with the addition of services including: osteopathic manipulation, medical acupuncture, acupressure, emotional, freedom, technique, tapping, several forms of mindfulness, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, aroma acupoint therapy, and hypnotherapy. Dr. Gold is an osteopathic physician, a pediatrician, and a board-certified Adolescent Medicine sub specialist. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture since 2014. She has served as a board member on the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, and on their membership committee from 2015 to 2017. Dr. Gold also served as an elected member of the executive committee of the Section on Integrative Medicine for the American Academy of Pediatrics from 2015 to 2018.

Academic Appointments

  • Professor of Pediatrics and Population and Family Health at CUMC

Gender

  • Female

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • AB, 1984 Smith College
  • DO, 1988 New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Residency: University of Maryland Medical System
  • Fellowship: Montefiore Medical Center

Research

Without access, there is no equity. 

Dr. Gold has received research funding for an RO1 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to conduct a randomized efficacy trial to study the effectiveness of motivational interviewing for reducing sexual risk-taking behaviors that lead to unintended pregnancy and STDs among youth. She has also receive funding for research on adolescent health for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and local foundations, as well as from the pharmaceutical industry to study adolescent contraception. Dr. Gold was a co-investigator on an NIH funded study whose aim was to develop and test, in a randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of a mind-body integrative health sleep intervention to improve sleep quality among adolescent SBHC patients compared to SBHC patients receiving a control intervention of didactic information about sleep. Most recently, Dr. Gold has turned her focus to teaching and evaluating the training of healthcare professionals in the use of integrative therapies for their own self-care, and to enhance their credibility and effectiveness in teaching patients and patients’ families the same techniques for symptom management. 

Research Interests

  • Adolescent sexual and reproductive health
  • Child and Adolescent Health
  • Integrative Medicine, Mindfulness Meditation

Selected Publications

Garbers S, Ancheta AJ, Gold MA, Maier M, and Bruzzese JM. Sleeping Healthy, Living Healthy: Using Iterative, Participatory Processes to Develop and Adapt an Integrated Sleep Hygiene/Mind-Body Integrative Health Intervention for Urban Adolescents" Health Promotion Practice. Accepted for publication May 30, 2023. In Press, 2023. 

Maier MC, Gold MA, Vacca SH, Garbers S. Mixed-methods exploration of telehealth-supported long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) services in school-based health centers: How much added value? Journal of Pediatric Health Care. Accepted for publication on May 10, 2023. In Press.

Maier MC, Scharf JY, Gold MA, Ancheta AJ, Bruzzese J-M, Garbers S. ‘Our mind could be our biggest challenge’:  a qualitative analysis of urban adolescents’ sleep experiences and opportunities for mind-body integrative health approaches to improve sleep. PEC Innovation. Accepted for publication on January 23, 2023. In Press.

Askew MA, Smaldone AM, Gold MA, Smith-Whitley K, Strouse JJ, Jin Z, Green NS. Pediatric hematology providers' contraceptive practices for female adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease: A national survey. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2022 Oct;69(10):e29877. doi: 10.1002/pbc.29877. Epub 2022 Jul 20. PMID: 35856776; PMCID: PMC9623811.

Loy MH, Usseglio J, Lasalandra D, Gold MA. Probiotic Use in Children and Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity: A Scoping Review. Child Obes. 2023 Apr;19(3):145-159. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0059. Epub 2022 Jun 20. PMID: 35723657.

Garbers S, Umar NQ, Hand RE, Usseglio J, Gold MA, Bruzzese JM. Mind-Body Integrative Health (MBIH) Interventions for Sleep among Adolescents: A Scoping Review of Implementation, Participation and Outcomes. Adolesc Res Rev. 2022 Dec;7(4):565-589. doi: 10.1007/s40894-021-00176-z. Epub 2021 Nov 13. PMID: 36619475; PMCID: PMC9815202. 

Diaz MF, Colleen G, Gruver R, Gold MA, Maier M, Usseglio J, Garbers S. Providing Contraceptive Health Services to Adolescents & Young Adults by Telemedicine: A Scoping Review of Patient and Provider Perspectives. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2022 May 26:S1083-3188(22)00219-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2022.05.003. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35644511.  

Carnevale C, Zucker J, LaSota E, Northland B, Arache A, Peralta H, Cohall A, Garth J, Gold MA, Sobieszczyk ME. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis at School-Based Health Centers: Awareness and Interest in Starting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis While Attending a School-Based Health Center in New York City. J Pediatr Health Care. 2022 May-Jun;36(3):256-263. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2021.10.006. Epub 2021 Nov 25. PMID: 34840056. 

Serafino S, Rajoria M, Gold MA, Garbers S. Evaluation of sexual orientation and gender identity documentation at school based health centers in New York City. J Eval Clin Pract 2021;27(4):1004-1008. Doi:10.111.jep.13522. Epub 2020 Dec 8. PMID: 33295105.

Garbers S, Suruki C, Falletta KA, Gold MA, Bruzzese J-Marie. Psychosocial Stress, Sleep Quality and Interest in Mind-Body Integrative Health Sleep Intervention Among Urban Adolescents in the School-Based Health Setting, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2021;58:102714. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102714. Epub 2021 March 22. PMID:33766621.