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Research Training Opportunities

The Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH) is committed to training the next generation of sexual and gender minority (SGM) health scholars. Many of our ongoing research projects welcome postdoctoral fellows/scholars, trainees, and interns to learn and work with ISGMH faculty and staff. See below for a list of research projects currently accepting inquiries about these research training opportunities.

All open postdoctoral positions are listed on the Join Our Team page.

Please note that all opportunities with ISGMH are dependent on funding, mentor availability, and project capacity.

 

2GETHER

2GETHER is an innovative HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples. The program is unique in that it integrates both group-based and individualized couple sessions and addresses the needs of both HIV-positive and HIV-negative young men. Over the course of four sessions, couples learn to utilize behavioral and biomedical approaches to prevent both HIV acquisition and transmission, with an overarching emphasis on improving relationship functioning. 

Interested in working with 2GETHER as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Dr. Michael Newcomb.

 

D2D

D2D examines PrEP adherence and usage patterns among young men who have sex with men (YMSM), with an emphasis on understanding racial disparities. The study embeds mixed-methods data collection activities—including a daily diary study, biomarkers of adherence, and in-depth interviews—into the ongoing RADAR study of YMSM aged 16-29. The RADAR cohort is highly diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, which allows for the evaluation of differences in PrEP adherence and patterns of use across groups. 

Interested in working with D2D as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Dr. Michael Newcomb.

 

The Evaluation Center: Community Development

The Evaluation Center: Community Development is a local HIV elimination project. It oversees the evaluation and quality management of community-led structural interventions designed and implemented at four local HIV service agencies funded through the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) HIV Services Portfolio. The project studies the impact of using a systems-informed empowerment framework to build agencies’ capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate homegrown structural interventions. The Evaluation Center: Community Development is a collaborative project led by the Evaluation, Data Integration and Technical Assistance (EDIT) Program at Northwestern University, in conjunction with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and CDPH. More about the EDIT Program.

Interested in working with the Evaluation Center: Community Development as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Dr. Gregory Phillips II.

 

The Evaluation Center: Project 2.0

The Evaluation Center: Project 2.0 is a local HIV elimination project that oversees the evaluation and quality management of 51 HIV prevention, care, and housing service projects funded through the Chicago Department of Public Health HIV Services Portfolio. The project studies the impact of using a systems-informed empowerment framework to engage delegate agencies, assess stakeholder needs, and develop program capacity. The Evaluation Center: Project 2.0 is a collaborative project led by the Evaluation, Data Integration and Technical Assistance (EDIT) Program at Northwestern University, in conjunction with the Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology and AIDS Foundation of Chicago. 

Interested in working with the Evaluation Center: Project 2.0 as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Dr. Gregory Phillips II.

 

FAB400

FAB 400 seeks to understand relationship dynamics and personal development among young LGBTQ people assigned female at birth (AFAB) in Chicago. Young sexual and gender minority AFAB people are at an elevated risk of intimate partner violence and its negative consequences. This study looks at why some young people get involved in relationships and others don’t, as well as what makes some relationships healthy while others become unhealthy or violent. FAB 400 is a longitudinal study, which allows analysis of how relationships form, change, and vary over time and how the relationships are impacted by internal and external factors. 

Interested in working with FAB400 as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Dr. Michael Newcomb.

 

 

 

Network Canvas

Network Canvas is a project to develop and disseminate a standalone software suite to simplify the collection and management of complex network data. Capturing data “beyond” the individual (e.g. social, relational, geospatial) is a growing priority for many researchers, particularly those concerned with understanding the complex drivers of health and disease in marginalized populations. However, existing survey tools for collecting these data are often cumbersome, resource intensive, and require strong technical expertise. Through a free, open-source framework, the Network Canvas suite leverages advanced technologies to allow researchers to easily design bespoke surveys, collect rich multilevel data directly from participants using intuitive touchscreen interfaces, and utilize these data in near real-time to assess associations between contextual factors and health outcomes.

Interested in working with Network Canvas as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Kate Banner.

 

 

RADAR

The purpose of RADAR is to identify and understand the connections between sexually transmitted infections (STIs), substance use, and romantic relationship patterns over time among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). To achieve this, RADAR has built a longitudinal dyadic-network cohort of nearly 1200 diverse YMSM to understand the interplay of HIV and substance use. The project uses a multilevel research design that incorporates biological, dyadic, and network components to provide an unprecedented view into HIV transmission epidemiology.

Interested in working with RADAR as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Ross Baiers.

 

SMART Project

SMART is an online sexual health and HIV prevention program for gay, bi, and queer teens guys (13-18 years old). SMART wants its participants to feel safe, confident, and empowered. In addition to sexual health, SMART covers topics that are important to gay, bi, and queer teen guys, like navigating sex and romantic relationships, understanding sexual and gender identities, and connecting with the LGBTQ community. 

Interested in working with the SMART Project as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Maggie Matson.

 

Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youths in the US, and prevalence of alcohol use is disproportionately higher among sexual minority youth than among their heterosexual peers. This project uses data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to assess alcohol use disparities across jurisdictions and time points. Additional study aims are to identify structural factors (laws, resource access, etc.) that may influence alcohol use and to study event-level associations between alcohol use and condomless sex. 

Interested in working with the Youth Risk Behavior Survey project as a postdoctoral fellow, trainee, or intern? Contact Dr. Gregory Phillips II.