Dr. Allen C. Goodman, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Wayne State University, passed away on Saturday, September 13, in Paris, France.
Allen was a highly respected economist, with a primary focus on health, urban, and housing economics. However, his most enduring contribution to the field was as a teacher. Alongside Sherman Folland, Miron Stano, and later, Shooshan Danagoulian, he co-authored The Economics of Health and Health Care, one of the most widely used textbooks in health economics. Now in its 9th edition and translated into multiple languages, this textbook continues to serve as an essential resource for generations of students, both within and outside the field of health economics. Teaching health economics was Allen’s true passion. He was an active organizer of ASHEcon sessions on teaching and the IHEA Special Interest Group on this topic. In 2021, he co-published the Handbook on Teaching Health Economics with Maia Platt.
Dr. Goodman dedicated 36 years of service to the Department of Economics at Wayne State University, where he held many roles, including faculty member, Chair of the Department, and Director of Graduate Studies. Over the course of his career, he supervised 35 doctoral dissertations and mentored countless junior researchers both at Wayne State and beyond. Allen is remembered as a person who uplifted others in the profession, inspiring respect and confidence in those around him while offering invaluable guidance to emerging scholars. His legacy as a mentor and collaborator leaves a lasting impact on the field.
He is deeply missed by his colleagues, friends, and co-authors.
Dr. Goodman is survived by his wife, Dr. Janet Hankin, and daughter, Dr. Sara Goodman.