Faculty
Lauren Beach, JD, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the ADVOCATE SGM Health Program at ISGMH. Scientifically, Beach investigates how stigma affects chronic disease management and health outcomes in LGBTI populations. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Nanette Benbow, M.A.S, is a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Director of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (TC-CFAR) End HIV Scientific Working Group; and member of the Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology. Her research interests include the use of epidemiologic and network modeling to improve HIV prevention and care continua. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Johnny Berona, PhD, is a research assistant professor at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Their research focuses on the prediction and prevention of health disparities among sexual and gender minority youth, particularly substance abuse and suicide-related outcomes. Dr. Berona's work in these areas examines biomarkers of minority stress, developmental trajectories of sexual and gender minorities, and novel approaches to mental health assessment and intervention. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Michelle Birkett, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the CONNECT Complex Systems and Health Disparities Research Program at ISGMH. Dr. Birkett’s research uses network and quantitative methodologies to understand the social contextual influence of stigma on the health and wellbeing of marginalized populations, and in particular, sexual and gender minority youth. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Jagadīśa-devaśrī Dācus, PhD, MSSW, is a research assistant professor and associate director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. He received his MSSW with a concentration in advanced generalist practice and programming from the Columbia University School of Social Work and his doctorate from the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) in social welfare. Dr. Dācus’ research takes a qualitative seeks to identify and understand the psychological, social, and spiritual strengths and resiliencies that contribute to maintained HIV-seronegativity in Black men who have sex with men. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Ricky Hill, PhD, is a research assistant professor and director of the 2GETHER project at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Patrick Janulis, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Janulis is a co-investigator on Network Canvas, a software suite for capturing social network and other complex data in effort to better understand the spread of HIV. He serves as the quantitative methodologist for the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Sumanas Jordan, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of plastic surgery at Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine plastic surgeon specializing in gender-affirming surgery and transgender health care. Jordan is also medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Gender Pathways Program and core faculty at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Dennis Li, MPH, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology at Feinberg School of Medicine. His research interests center on the development and implementation of technology-enabled sexual health promotion programs for young people, particularly sexual and gender minority youth. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Kathryn Macapagal, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and associate director of the THRIVE Center within ISGMH. She conducts translational, social-behavioral and implementation research focused on improving the health and wellbeing of sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents and young adults. Earlier in her career, she focused on ethical issues in HIV prevention research among SGM adolescents, a topic that underpins all her work in adolescent health. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Brian Mustanski, PhD is director of the Northwestern University Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing and the NIH-funded Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). His research focuses on the health and development of LGBTQ youth and the application of new media and technology to HIV prevention. He has been a Principal Investigator of over $70 million in federal and foundation grants and has published over 360 journal articles; according to Clarivate, his papers' citations make him one of the most highly cited researchers globally. Dr. Mustanski is a frequent advisor to federal and local agencies on LGBTQ health and sexual health, including being appointed to multiple federal advisory committees. NBC News selecting him from 1,600 nominees to their inaugural list of 30 changemakers and innovators making a positive difference in the LGBTQ community. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Michael E. Newcomb, PhD, is a tenured associate professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the THRIVE Center at ISGMH. Dr. Newcomb’s research broadly focuses on health disparities in LGBT youth, particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug use, and mental health problems. His work emphasizes the interpersonal contexts that influence health outcomes, including romantic relationships and families. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Gregory Phillips II, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine and founder of the Evaluation, Data Integration, and Technical Assistance (EDIT) Program at ISGMH. His research focuses on understanding social-, sexual-, and network-level factors that drive the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women, particularly among youth and racial/ethnic minority populations. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Maria Pyra, MPH, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences & the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health & Wellbeing at the Northwestern University. She also collaborates with Howard Brown Health, as Senior Epidemiologist. Her work focuses on sexual and reproductive health, as well as using implementation science to improve the equitable delivery of HIV and STI prevention. Feinberg Faculty Profile.Joshua Schrock, PhD, MPH, researches on the connections between social context, physiology, and health. His work at ISGMH investigates risk factors and health outcomes associated with systemic inflammation among young men who have sex with men, trans women, and non-binary individuals participating in the RADAR project.Madison Shea Smith, PhD, is a research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Smith’s research focuses on the bidirectional association of romantic relationships and health, with an emphasis on SGM communities and advanced quantitative methods. Dr. Smith works primarily on all2GETHER, an innovative HIV prevention and relationship education program. Dr. Smith also coordinates measurement for RADAR, a multilevel longitudinal cohort study of sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth.
Steven Thrasher, PhD, is an assistant professor and the inaugural Daniel H. Renberg chair of social justice in reporting at Medill School of Journalism, the first journalism professorship in the world to focus on LGBTQ issues. Dr. Thrasher is a transdisciplinary scholar of HIV/AIDS and a practicing journalist whose writing explores the intersections of racism and health disparities in American society and culture. Medill Faculty Profile.Cindy Veldhuis (pronounced Veld-hice), PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the department of medical social sciences whose research is funded by an NIH/NIAAA K99/R00. Broadly, her research focuses on LGBTQIA+ women’s relationships and health as well as violence, trauma, mental health, and the impacts of sociopolitical events on wellbeing. Feinberg Faculty Profile. Christine Wood, PhD, is a research assistant professor of medical social sciences Feinberg School of Medicine and core faculty at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Wood is a medical sociologist dedicated to diversifying and increasing capacity in the biomedical workforce, primarily to support historically underrepresented scientists and their research. Feinberg Faculty Profile.alithia zamantakis is a Research Assistant Professor at ISGMH. Her research focuses primarily on health equity for Black and Latinx transgender and nonbinary individuals, specifically regarding HIV care and gender-affirming care. She is associate chair for the division of sexual behavior, politics, and communities of the Society for the Study for Social Problems and chair of the Sociologists for Trans Justice. She is the author of Thinking Cis: Cisgender, Heterosexual Men & Queer Women’s Roles in Anti-Trans Violence.
