About

Peter Gordon is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Education and an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is the Director of the Language and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. His scholarly interests include language acquisition and processing, developmental neuroscience of language and cognition, cross-cultural studies of numerical cognition and linguistic knowledge, infant event representations, verb argument structure, behavioral genetics of language, and magnetic resonance imaging of brain functioning in language processing. Gordon holds a B.A. (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Stirling in Scotland and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research has contributed significantly to understanding numerical cognition without words, as evidenced by his publication in Science on evidence from Amazonia, and to the study of language development and processing across different cultures and languages. Gordon's work also explores the origins of argument structure in infant event representations and the neural basis of language and cognition. He has conducted field research in Piraha villages in Amazonia and on the Kadiweu reservation in Brazil. His academic career includes numerous publications, grants, and active participation in professional organizations related to psychology, linguistics, and cognitive neuroscience.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Family medicine
• Virology
• Nursing
• Pathology
• Immunology
• Environmental health
• Gerontology

Selected publications

• Neurobehavioral Dynamics of Numerical Change: Directional and Numerical Distance Processing

  2026-05-09

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Trends in Triple-Site Testing for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea in New York City: A Cross-sectional Study Using Health Information Exchange Data

  Sexually Transmitted Diseases · 2026-03-19

  article

  BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a threat to public health and continue to rise in New York City (NYC) despite reductions in other parts of the United States. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can infect multiple anatomic sites, including the urogenital tract, pharynx, and rectum. Guidelines recommend multisite testing for select populations, yet multisite testing is not routinely performed, limiting our understanding of trends in positivity and missed infections. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients who underwent triple-site testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea in NYC between January 2018 and June 2023 using data from Healthix, the largest public health information exchange (HIE) in the country. We examined rates of triple-site testing, the prevalence of positivity at any anatomic site, and the proportion of extragenital-only positivity. We fit logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations to identify predictors of triple-site testing as well as overall and extragenital-only positivity. RESULTS: We identified 11,405 individuals who received triple-site testing during the study period, representing 28,565 triple-site tests, 2,742 chlamydia cases, and 2,702 gonorrhea cases. The rectum was the most common site of infection for both STIs. Overall, 82% of chlamydia infections (82% in men and 77% in women) and 86% of gonorrhea infections (86% in men and 87% in women) would have been missed with urogenital-only testing. CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional study of HIE data, we examined citywide testing and found that, among patients undergoing triple-site testing, the majority of chlamydia and gonorrhea cases would have been missed through urogenital-only testing.

  PublisherDOI

• BRIDGING THE GAP: INTEGRATING MENTAL HEALTH AND PASTORAL COUNSELING FOR BLACK MALES THROUGH AN INTERSECTIONAL LENS

  International Journal of Advanced Research · 2025-04-30

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Black males in the United States experience a disproportionate burden of mental health challenges shaped by intersecting forces of racism, gender-based expectations, and systemic inequities. Despite the prevalence of mental health concerns, Black males remain significantly less likely to seek traditional therapy due to stigma, institutional mistrust, and a lack of culturally responsive services. At the same time, many turn to faith-based support systems, particularly pastoral counseling, which align more closely with cultural and spiritual values. This scoping review, grounded in Intersectionality Theory, explores the integration of mental health and pastoral counseling as a culturally affirming strategy to better address the needs of Black males. The review synthesizes evidence on the impact of racial trauma, mental health stigma, and spiritual coping, highlighting the limitations of siloed approaches to care. Findings underscore the value of collaborative models that recognize the interconnectedness of psychological and spiritual well-being. Integrated interventions that honor both cultural identity and clinical efficacy are essential for reducing disparities and promoting holistic healing among Black males.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring HIV provider framings of living and aging with HIV

  SSM - Qualitative Research in Health · 2025-01-08

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Enhanced Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Infections to Foster a Learning Public Health System

  JAMA Network Open · 2025-06-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Importance: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a substantial public health challenge, but fragmented reporting systems have limited capacity for disease surveillance approaches that might support a learning public health system, where near real-time data-driven insights are integrated to inform, evaluate, and adapt public health strategies. Objective: To examine how health information exchanges and open government data can be leveraged to foster a learning public health system by characterizing and comparing patterns in diagnosis vs testing at a scale commensurate with regional public health agencies. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cross-sectional study, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV testing and diagnosis between January 1, 2018, and June 30, 2023, were assessed to study concurrent testing and coinfections and estimate correlates of laboratory testing and positive results. Patient-level electronic health record data from 4 767 322 patients aged 18 years or older spanning multiple health systems in New York City and collected by the public health information exchange Healthix were linked with neighborhood-level information from the American Community Survey. Exposures: Age, sex, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, residential neighborhood, and concurrent STI testing. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were performance of a laboratory test and test positivity. The viability of using clinical data from public health information exchange to enhance disease surveillance to identify testing gaps, disparities, and important trends, key characteristics of a learning public health system was assessed. Results: The dataset included 4 767 322 patients (mean [SD] age, 46 [18] years; 61% women) with approximately 33% living in areas of high or very high poverty levels and 66% in areas of low or medium poverty levels. Among 1 519 121 tests for chlamydia, 2% were positive; among 1 574 772 tests for gonorrhea, 1% were positive; and among 1 200 560 tests for HIV, 0.3% were positive. Chlamydia and gonorrhea co-occurred in 1854 cases, representing 7% of chlamydia cases and 21% of gonorrhea cases. Testing behavior was often incongruent with geographic and sociodemographic patterns of incident cases. For example, people living in areas with the highest poverty levels were less likely to be tested for gonorrhea (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.90 [95% CI, 0.89-0.91]; P < .001) but almost twice as likely to test positive for gonorrhea (AOR, 1.91 [95% CI, 1.72-2.12]; P < .001) compared with those in low poverty areas. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study suggests that health information exchanges and open government data sources may support regional disease surveillance by contributing information not typically available through public health reporting to elucidate inefficiencies and disparities in testing given positivity and coinfection patterns. These and similar insights could be used to continuously drive public health improvements and foster a learning public health system.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Increased Depression and Anxiety Among Men and Transgender Women Receiving Care at a Sexual Health Clinic in New York City During COVID-19

  Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 2025-07-31

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Clients seeking sexual health care often need concurrent mental healthcare services, which were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from two studies conducted before and after the onset of COVID-19, we examined changes in self-reported depression and anxiety scores among clients in a sexual health clinic in New York City (NYC). Methods We enrolled 144 participants pre-COVID-19 and 319 post-COVID-19 pandemic onset. Participants completed questionnaires assessing demographics, sexual behaviors, and mental health status. Primary mental outcomes included depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale [GAD-7]). We conducted descriptive analyses and used generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) to estimate predictors of mental health changes. Results Cohorts were comparable by age, self-identified gender, race/ethnicity, income, HIV, and sexually transmitted infection assessment scores. Post-COVID-19 participants reported significantly higher mean PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores compared with pre-COVID-19 participants (3.6 ± 4.2 vs 5.7 ± 5.3, P &amp;lt; .001; 3.9 ± 4.3 vs 5.1 ± 5.0; P = .019). Post-COVID-19 participants were also more likely to be uninsured or on Medicaid (2.7% vs 20%, 18% vs 30%, P &amp;lt; .001), and to report intimate partner violence victimization (24% vs 45%, P = .003). Adjusted GLMM showed post-COVID-19 was associated with a 1.55 (95% CI: .07, 3.03, P &amp;lt; .04) mean increase in PHQ-9 scores, but not GAD-7. Conclusions Depression and anxiety scores increased after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in this NYC sexual health clinic sample. The sustained impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression calls for integrated, accessible mental health services within sexual health care settings.

  PublisherDOI

• SEL Through School, Family, and Community Partnerships

  2025-05-09

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter explores the collaboration between schools, families, and communities in strengthening Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). It highlights how integrated SEL efforts enhance student well-being, academic success, and social competence through consistent support across multiple environments. Strategies for family engagement include workshops, home-based SEL activities, and culturally responsive practices. The chapter also examines community partnerships with local organizations, mentorship programs, and mental health services to extend SEL beyond the classroom. Case studies showcase successful school-community collaborations in marginalized areas, addressing challenges like limited resources, cultural barriers, and policy constraints. Finally, it offers recommendations for sustaining SEL initiatives through strategic partnerships, advocacy, and systemic integration.

  PublisherDOI

• Demographic Analysis of Unbefriended Patients Seen by a Palliative Care Service

  Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · 2025-04-10

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A <scp>US</scp>‐Based Multi‐Site Pilot to Screen Hepatitis B Surface Antigen‐Positive Patients for Hepatitis D

  Journal of Viral Hepatitis · 2024-12-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Hepatitis D (HDV) is a severe infection with well-recognised clinical ramifications that remains relatively neglected and underdiagnosed; consequently, the epidemiology of HDV is poorly characterised, both in the United States and globally. In 2022, a pilot project involving eight healthcare institutions was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence of HDV in healthcare institutions with an HBV seropositivity of at least 1%, describe the characteristics of patients testing positive for HDV, and evaluate diagnostic and laboratory processes of HDV screening. From August 2022 to April 2024, a total of 106,693 patients were tested for HBsAg, of whom 65,341 (61.2%) were female and 40,863 (38.3%) were male, with a mean age of 47 years. The overall HBsAg positivity rate was 1.04% (n = 1112). Among the HBsAg+ samples, 645 (58.0%) underwent HDV Ab testing. The HDV Ab positivity rate was 0.81% (n = 9), with 2 cases of HDV RNA positivity (0.18%). The incomplete testing reflects several challenges associated with screening for both HBV and HDV. Further research is necessary to better understand the epidemiology and burden of HDV in the United States and considerations for implementation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Enabling a Learning Public Health System: Enhanced Surveillance of HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections

  medRxiv · 2024-04-12

  preprintOpen access

  Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to pose a substantial public health challenge in the United States (US). Surveillance, a cornerstone of disease control and prevention, can be strengthened to promote more timely, efficient, and equitable practices by incorporating health information exchange (HIE) and other large-scale health data sources into reporting. New York City patient-level electronic health record data between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2023 were obtained from Healthix, the largest US public HIE. Healthix data were linked to neighborhood-level information from the American Community Survey. In this cross-sectional study, we compared patients who received a test or tested positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and/or HIV with patients who were untested or tested negative, respectively, using generalized estimating equations with logit function and robust standard errors. Among 1,519,121 tests performed for chlamydia, 1,574,772 for gonorrhea, and 1,200,560 for HIV, 2%, 0.6% and 0.3% were positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV, respectively. Chlamydia and gonorrhea co-occurred in 1,854 cases (7% of chlamydia and 21% of gonorrhea total cases). Testing behavior was often incongruent with geographic and sociodemographic patterns of positive cases. For example, people living in areas with the highest levels of poverty were less likely to test for gonorrhea but almost twice as likely to test positive compared to those in low poverty areas. Regional HIE enabled review of testing and cases using granular and complementary data not typically available given existing reporting practices. Enhanced surveillance spotlights potential incongruencies between testing patterns and STI risk in certain populations, signaling potential under- and over-testing. These and future insights derived from HIE data may be used to continuously inform public health practice and drive further improvements in provision and evaluation of services and programs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jason Zucker

  Columbia University

  76 shared

• Daniel Winetsky

  SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

  60 shared

• Caroline Carnevale

  NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital

  52 shared

• Magdalena E. Sobieszczyk

  Columbia University Irving Medical Center

  50 shared

• Alwyn Cohall

  Columbia University

  48 shared

• Susan Olender

  Columbia University

  39 shared

• Deborah Theodore

  Columbia University

  33 shared

• Matthew Scherer

  Columbia University Irving Medical Center

  33 shared

Labs

• Language and Cognitive Neuroscience LabPI

  The lab focuses on language and cognitive neuroscience research.

Education

• B.A., Psychology

  University of Stirling (Scotland)

• Ph.D., Psychology

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Awards & honors

• Lilly Endowment Teaching Fellowship to Peter Gordon, 1987-19…
• Sloan Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Scien…