Gary Goldfield

Dr. Goldfield is a Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute with the Healthy Active Living & Obesity (HALO) Research Group, and Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, and cross-appointed as Professor in the Schools of Psychology, Human Kinetics, and Population Health at the University of Ottawa. He is also an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University. Dr. Goldfield is also a registered clinical psychologist who provides psychological services to children, adolescents and adults in the community. He began the childhood obesity research program at the CHEO Research Institute in 2003 and is a founding member of HALO. He has held an Endowed Scholar Award from the CHEO Volunteer Association Board, a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and won an Award of Excellence as Outstanding Research Mentor from the CHEO Research Institute. He serves on the editorial board of several peer-reviewed journals in his field. Dr. Goldfield’s main research areas focus on the role that physical activity, screen time, biological and psychosocial factors play in the regulation of eating behaviour, body weight, and mental health among children and youth. In addition to behavioural and psychological interventions to promote health and mental health, his research program also evaluates pharmacological treatments of obesity and related complications. Dr. Goldfield has published over 200 scientific papers, has an h-index of 62. His  published research has been cited more than 18,500 times according to Google Scholar. Dr. Goldfield has also given over 250 scholarly presentations at national and international conferences.

Email Researcher Other Publications

Research Areas

Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Concussion Infectious Disease Mental Health Eating Disorders Precision Child and Youth Mental Health

Related News

Research Projects

1. Is it Time to Better Harness Artificial Intelligence for Improving Lifestyle Behaviours?

   27/01/2026

2. Teaching Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Self-Compassion (TADS) to Reduce Diabetes Distress: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

   26/12/2023

   This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether a web‑based mindful self‑compassion program can reduce diabetes distress and related mental health challenges among adolescents living with type 1 diabetes. By comparing the intervention with standard care, the study will assess impacts on emotional well‑being, diabetes‑related behaviors, and glycemic control over 12 months. The findings are expected to inform scalable psychological supports that help adolescents better manage the emotional demands of living with type 1 diabetes.

3. Loneliness during COVID-19 and its association with eating habits and 24-hour movement behaviours in a sample of Canadian adolescents

   01/10/2023

   This study examined whether increased loneliness during the COVID‑19 pandemic was associated with health behaviours among Canadian adolescents. Adolescents who reported greater loneliness had higher odds of skipping breakfast, exceeding screen time guidelines, and getting insufficient sleep, with similar patterns observed for both boys and girls. These findings highlight the need for post‑pandemic recovery efforts that support adolescent social connectedness to help promote healthy behavioural habits.

4. Validating existing clinical cut-points for the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a large sample of Canadian children and youth

   01/09/2023

   This study evaluated whether existing British cut‑points for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) are appropriate for identifying mental health concerns among Canadian children and youth. The findings showed that Canadian‑specific cut‑points improved screening specificity while maintaining overall clinical utility for the total SDQ score. The authors recommend using both the new Canadian cut‑points and the existing British thresholds to support accurate screening while enabling historical and international comparisons.

5. The association between social media use and physical activity among Canadian adolescents: a Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study

   01/08/2023

   This study examined the association between social media use and physical activity across multiple domains among Canadian adolescents. Non‑active and problematic social media use were associated with lower physical activity levels, while intense social media use was linked to higher odds of meeting daily physical activity recommendations. These findings suggest that how adolescents engage with social media—rather than time alone—may influence physical activity behaviors.