About Professor Goldsmith

Joy V. Goldsmith, PhD, conducts research about health communication science in the context of healthcare provider training, and serious and chronic illness. Her numerous books and articles in clinical as well as communication journals address health literacy, communication pedagogy, simulation training, oncology nurse communication, interprofessional communication, and family caregiver communication. CommunicateComfort.com, a long-time initiative of Dr. Goldsmith, serves to house and disseminate a range of research interventions and education/training curriculum for healthcare providers.

Storyboard creation and development, e-learning module formation, and mhealth design and navigation are dimensions of Goldsmith’s applied research integrating media, theatre, and film across her body of work. COMFORT training has occurred through regionally and nationally grant-funded training courses and healthcare systems including MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Veterans Administration, in addition to undergraduate and graduate provider training programs across America, Australia, and Kenya. Goldsmith is the co-author of eight books and more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles. Joy is the Founder and Co-Director of the University of Memphis Center for Health Literacy and Health Communication. She also serves as an Affiliate Faculty member in the School of Public Health.

 

Education

PhD, University of Oklahoma
MS, Southern Illinois University 
BA, Bethel College

 

Recent Academic Publications

Goldsmith, J. V., Wittenberg, E., Chen, C., & Prince-Paul, M. (In press, content complete, for 2026 publication). Essentials of Nursing Communication. Elsevier Press.

 

Refereed Journal Articles

Mahmood, A., Kim, H., Kesia, S., Boykins, A., & Goldsmith, J.V.  (2025). Caregiving responsibility and psychological distress among community-dwelling cancer survivors in the United States. Supportive Care in Cancer, 33(2):75-12 pgs. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-09133-7. PMID: 39776292; PMCID: PMC11706889. (3.2 impact factor)

Yuen, E., Goldsmith J., Wilson C., Toke S., Hutchinson, A.M., McLeod, V., Livingston, P.M., Day, D., Webber, K., &  Wittenberg, E. (2024). Improving communication skills in caregivers: an adaptation and pilot test of a brief training module for caregivers of people with cancer in Australia. Supportive Care in Cancer, 32(12): 777-16 pgs. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08964-8. PMID: 39509048 (3.2 impact factor)

Terui, S., Goldsmith, J. V., Wittenberg, E., Williams-Click, Y., & Alabere, R. (2024). User Experience and Evaluation of the COMFORT Communication App for Nursing Education. CIN Plus, 42(4). 10.1097/CIN.0000000000001128 (1.3 impact factor)

Goldsmith, J.V., & Wittenberg, E. (2024). The COMFORT Model: Moving the Initiative Outside of the Academy [Special Issue]. Health Communication, 39(3). doi.10.1080/10410236.2024.2326255 (3.9 impact factor)

Wittenberg, E., Goldsmith, J., Prince-Paul, M., & Chen, C. (2024). A Conceptual Model of the Nurse’s Role as Primary Palliative Care Provider in Goals of Care Communication. PEC Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100254

 

Recent Grant Activity

Co-Investigator, Mentor. Virtual Institute for Research in Arts-Based Therapies (VIRABT), NIH/NCCIH 1U24AT013344-01 (under review). MPI Burns & Schmidt.

Co-Investigator. Developing a User-Centered, Interactive Website for People with HIV and Their Healthcare Providers: A Health Literacy Needs Assessment Tool for HIV (CCNT-HIV). (October, 2024). PI Sachiko Terui. NIH-HIV/AIDS Study Section. 1R21MH139421-01 $275,000 12/1/2024-12/1/2026 (Not Funded).

Co-Investigator. Platform development for the Communicate Health Needs Tool (CCNT). Submitted to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) in January, 2024. PI Sachiko Terui. (Not Funded). Ranked in top 10%  (quintile) of submissions; Funding line at 6%.

Co-Investigator. The impact of social determinants of health, post-sepsis health literacy, and caregiver communication on recovery trajectories after sepsis. Umberger, R. (Principal Investigator), Jiang, Y, Goldsmith, J., Mary, A. (2024, February). The impact of social determinants of health, post-sepsis health literacy, and caregiver communication on recovery trajectories after sepsis. The National Institutes of Health. Targeting NINR. R15 Tracking # GRANT14081385 $418,029 12/1/2024-11/30/2027  (Consultant: Boehm, L). (Not Funded).

Co-Investigator. Overcoming communication challenges for carers of people with cancer. Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Australia. Submitted 10.23. PI Eva Yuen. (Funded $29,989, January 2024-December 2024).