Maria Godoy
Maria Godoy is a senior science and health editor and correspondent with NPR News. Her reporting can be heard across NPR's news shows and podcasts. She is also one of the hosts of NPR's Life Kit.
Previously, Godoy hosted NPR's food vertical, The Salt, where she covered the food beat with a wide lens — investigating everything from the health effects of caffeine to the environmental and cultural impact of what we eat.
Under Godoy's leadership, The Salt was recognized as Publication of the Year in 2018 by the James Beard Foundation. With her colleagues on the food team, Godoy won the 2012 James Beard Award for best food blog. The Salt was also awarded first place in the blog category from the Association of Food Journalists in 2013, and it won a Gracie Award for Outstanding Blog from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation in 2013.
Previously, Godoy oversaw political, national, and business coverage for NPR.org. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with several awards, including two prestigious Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Silver Batons: one for coverage of the role of race in the 2008 presidential election, and another for a series about the sexual abuse of Native American women. The latter series was also awarded the Columbia Journalism School's Dart Award for excellence in reporting on trauma, and a Gracie Award.
In 2010, Godoy and her colleagues were awarded a Gracie Award for their work on a series exploring the science of spirituality. She was also part of a team that won the 2007 Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award for Excellence in Reporting on Drug and Alcohol Issues.
Godoy was a 2008 Ethics fellow at the Poynter Institute. She joined NPR in 2003 as a digital news editor.
Born in Guatemala, Godoy now lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC, with her husband and two kids. She's a sucker for puns (and has won a couple of awards for her punning headlines).
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From neonatal and primary care to emergency medicine, kids got lower-quality care than their white peers, researchers found. Disparities include longer waits and less pain medication for broken bones. -
Soda taxes are meant to discourage people from drinking too much sugar, which is linked to a host of bad health outcomes. Cities that imposed the taxes saw a 33% decrease in the sale of sugary drinks.
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Research shows nearly 1 in 5 school-age children are using melatonin to help them sleep. But these supplements are unregulated and pediatricians worry about their safety and the dose.
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For many people of color in this country, a visit to the doctor means being extra careful about their appearance in the hope to be treated fairly during the appointment.
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Mold, pests and rodents in the home can lead to life-threatening asthma attacks in kids. Increasingly, doctors see this as a medical issue that requires legal intervention.
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17 million U.S. households were food insecure in 2022. That's 3.5 million more than the prior year. Families with children and people of color experienced higher than average rates of food insecurity.
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A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics warns that drinks marketed as toddler formulas are misleading parents. Some tout beneficial nutrients, but in fact have added sugar and salt.
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Middle school can be a challenging time and it turns out bike riding may help. Researchers found students who took part in a 6 to 8 week cycling class reported having a more positive outlook on life.
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Updated versions of the mRNA vaccines roll out this week. Experts say they offer good protection against current COVID variants. Who should get them, and when's the best time to roll up your sleeve?
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You don't have to shell out for fancy sodas. It's easy to fill your plate with fiber, a dietary hero that feeds your gut microbes and prevents disease.
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You don't even have to own one. Research shows just 5 to 20 minutes interacting with other people's pooches can reduce stress hormones and increase well-being.
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Little kids are like a "small potato" whose core can heat up faster than an adult's, an expert tells NPR. Here are tips for helping children stay safe in extreme temperatures.
