Building Resilient Students: Addressing Health and Science Misinformation Through District Partnerships

About the Presenters

Elliott Goodman is Director of District Fellowships at the News Literacy Project. Elliott previously served as lead teacher and department chair at a high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he spearheaded the development of a new academic program and three new courses, in addition to teaching government, economics, and geography. Before that, Elliott taught Latin in New York and California. At English in Action in New York City, Elliott ran the Middle School Public Debate Program, the National Shakespeare Competition, the Luard-Morse Scholarship for students at historically Black colleges and universities, and other educational programs focused on promoting public speaking and international exchange. Elliott is a graduate of Teachers College at Columbia University and The University of Chicago. He earned his teaching credential at California State University, Northridge.

Karen Kelsall-Lagola is an Instructional Technology Coach at Beverly Hills High School. She’s an ISTE Certified Educator, Google Coach, and Trainer dedicated to helping teachers and schools leverage technology to work smarter, not just harder. Karen is passionate about diving into conversations on topics that matter right now, including meaningful tech integration, the practical uses of AI for educators and students, and the essentials of digital citizenship, media literacy, and copyright. She is constantly looking for opportunities to grow and learn with others.

Eli Cahan, MD, MSc, is an award-winning investigative journalist covering the intersection of child welfare and health policy. His written work has been featured in ProPublica, The Washington Post, LA Times, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His multimedia work has appeared on TV via ABC and radio via NPR. Eli’s reporting has won awards from the National Press Club, News Leaders Association, and elsewhere; he was shortlisted for the Livingston Award in 2025. He has received reporting fellowships from The McGraw Center, National Press Foundation, and Dart Center, among others; he has also been a grantee of the Pulitzer Center, Type Media Center, and elsewhere.

Eli is also a neonatal intensive care doctor at Stanford University, having completed his general pediatrics training at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is also the Journalist-in-Residence at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of the Health Equity Media Fellowship at Stanford University.

Dr. Brittney Smith is a Director of District Fellowships at the News Literacy Project. Dr. Smith joined NLP in July 2022 after eight years of teaching life science in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a high school teacher to diverse populations of students, including English language learners. In her tenure as science department chair, she focused on building partnerships with community stakeholders to enrich and improve students’ educational experiences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in teaching science to adolescents and young adults from Mount St. Joseph University. She completed her doctorate in educational practice and innovation with a STEM focus at the University of South Carolina.