Jagadīśa-devaśrī Dācus Honored with Outstanding Commitment in Education Award

Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH) Associate Director Jagadīśa-devaśrī Dācus, PhD, received the Outstanding Commitment in Education award from Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs in a celebration commemorating LGBTQ+ History Month on October 9.

“When I first heard about this nomination, I was truly humbled,” Dācus told those gathered at the celebration. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to my esteemed colleague Kim Hunt from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago for nominating me and to the selection committee for recognizing my team’s contribution to the educational and professional advancement of BIPOC LGBTQ+ people in HIV science, research, and scholarship.”

Dācus leads the Summer Intensive Program in Intersectional BIPOC SGM-focused HIV Science, an annual program that invites trainees in the behavioral and social sciences to attend a series of lectures and workshops on Northwestern University’s campus. Each cohort is composed of individuals who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and also sexual and gender minorities currently in graduate or postdoctoral training programs. The Summer Intensive Program is sponsored by the ISGMH, Third Coast Center for AIDS Research, and Southern AIDS Coalition.

“Each year, during the orientation to the Summer Intensive Program, I first and foremost express my gratitude to the program participants,” said Dācus. “Their expressed interest alone validates the necessity for a program such as ours and for a space in which they can find and co-create a community that is often nonexistent in their home institutions.”

Congratulations Dr. Dācus!