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Kathryn Macapagal Named Interim Associate Director of ISGMH

July 31, 2020

Kathryn Macapagal, Ph.D., has been named the interim associate director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender kathryn-macapagal-with-caption.png
Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH) at Northwestern University, effective August 2020. Macapagal is a research associate professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and one of ISGMH’s founding faculty members.

“It’s an honor to have this opportunity to lead ISGMH as we move into our fifth year as an institute,” said Macapagal. “It has been exciting to witness our growth from a 30-person team to a vibrant community of nearly 100 people in such a short period of time, and I look forward to nurturing further growth while in this leadership role.”

Trained as a clinical health psychologist, Macapagal conducts translational research on sexual health and HIV prevention among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth, with an emphasis on adolescent and young adult sexual minority males. She has been the principal investigator of two projects focused on PrEP and sexual networking application use among SGM adolescents. She is a co-investigator across several large National Institutes of Health grants at ISGMH, including the SMART, 2GETHER , and Keep It Up! projects. Macapagal is also the director of ISGMH’s Social Media Working Group.

“Kathryn exemplifies dedication to ISGMH, to our mission of improving the lives of sexual and gender minorities, and to rigorous scientific work. She has been with ISGMH since the beginning, and her leadership as interim associate director will strengthen our institute as we continue to grow and advance the field of SGM health research. I also want to thank Dr. Francesca Gaiba for her years of service as ISGMH's associate director and wish her the best in her new position at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research,” said ISGMH Director Brian Mustanski, Ph.D.

Additional information about the search for a permanent associate director, including the application for interested candidates, will be announced soon.