Infectious disease specialist Robbie Goldstein is running for the Eighth Congressional District seat. (Image courtesy of the Committee to Elect Robbie Goldstein.)
Infectious disease specialist Robbie Goldstein enjoys practicing medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and teaching at Harvard Medical School. While caring for people matters, Goldstein has his sights set on representing the Eighth District of Massachusetts in Congress, challenging Democratic incumbent Stephen Lynch.
“I love what I do. It’s the best job in the world,” Goldstein said, who is also a primary care physician. “As proud as I am, I know there is so much more to do. We need to do something on a federal level, not just for the person in the exam room, but for their family and community.”
Goldstein attended Tufts University for his undergraduate studies, medical school and doctoral studies, making him familiar with Chinatown. He settled in Fort Point with his husband Ryan and frequented the Best Little Restaurant, their favorite neighborhood place, which closed December 2019.
Goldstein established the Transgender Health Program at MGH after seeing transgender patients’ needs go unmet.
Internist Mohammad Dar, a Jamaica Plain resident and former congressional candidate for the Eighth District, said, “If you want to talk about civil rights and enabling dignity for the LGBTQ community, talk to Robbie. He works tirelessly for his patients and those around him.”
Jessica Halem, LGBTQ outreach and engagement director at Harvard Medical School, said transgender individuals may feel they are met with discrimination or bias from a doctor.
“If we get to the heart of learning from LGBTQ patients, we believe all patients will be better served by a more inclusive, welcoming health care system,” she said.
MGH Center for Gun Violence Prevention director Chana Sacks was a medical resident at MGH with Goldstein, where they are now colleagues on the faculty. Her work informs Goldstein’s platform to end the 40,000 deaths from gun violence each year.
“For a young faculty member to start a program on this scale like Robbie has done is rare in a hospital,” Sacks said. “As a physician he can lead the team, but if there’s a backup at the lab, Robbie draws blood himself. He’s that kind of doctor. He has the big-picture vision but also is immersed in the details to get things done.”
Goldstein has a background in infectious disease and felt the Covid-19 pandemic response was insufficient. The Affordable Care Act invested into public health for annual accruals, but public health spending has been cut by Congress each year.
“Infections don’t know borders,” Goldstein said. “There’s been a failure of public health in the past 10 years to build preparedness. We need to address what’s coming into our country.”
Efforts to support local businesses are important, with Goldstein voicing his support for Boston Councilor Michelle Wu’s dim sum brunch on Feb. 15 and Quincy Council President Nina Liang’s dim sum luncheon on Feb. 23.
“We have to be collaborative and work together,” Goldstein said. “I’m glad the world community has come together, as it’s not just Wuhan affected but a global infection. We recognize it’s not just related to one province in China, and we should not stigmatize people.”
The Green New Deal is part of Goldstein’s platform.
“We see how climate change links to health care, to infections with novel viruses,” Goldstein said. “Locally, we can see Lyme disease and tick-borne illness occurring in the January to March off season, with warmer temperatures.”
One of Goldstein’s patients from Honduras was held in detention at the U.S border with Mexico, as the person was undocumented, Goldstein said. The person was transgender, so she was held in a male detention center with her medications withheld. She was the victim of violence and did not go to a hospital until six months later.
“There’s work to do in medicine, but there’s more work to break the stigma from the border to Boston,” Goldstein said. “We need to make our country more welcoming and affirming for everyone.”
Being inclusive is why Sacks believes Goldstein can make a difference.
“Taking care of people is what he does,” Sacks said. “He goes above and beyond for his patients. But he also thinks hard about who’s not in the room and is dedicated to getting everyone access to the care that they need.”
The House Democratic primary is Sept. 1. For more about Goldstein’s campaign, visit www.robbieforchange.com.
