Creating Inclusivity and Improving Outcomes for Sexual and Gender-Diverse People

This Pop-Up Institute will apply a health equity lens to ask novel research questions, develop community-led interventions, and lay the groundwork for the creation of a comprehensive care center at UT Austin for sexual and gender-diverse (SGD) people in central Texas.

Our health and wellness are particularly affected by the intersecting social, political, and economic environments in which we live. Texans who identify as sexual or gender diverse report higher rates of discrimination and less access to quality, culturally competent healthcare, and have higher rates of serious medical and mental health problems such as cardiovascular disease and severe depression. Health disparities in this community are exaggerated amongst racial minorities. This Pop-Up will convene a multidisciplinary collaborative of researchers, healthcare providers, and community partners to investigate how sexual health, mental health, minority stress, and substance use contribute to health disparities in the SGD community.

Pop-Up Institute Leader

Principal Team

  • Laura Brown Laura Brown, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow
    Center for Health Communication
    Moody College of Communication
  • Erica Ciszek Erica Ciszek, PhD Assistant Professor
    School of Advertising & Public Relations
    Moody College of Communication
  • Kasey Claborn Kasey Claborn, PhD Assistant Professor
    Department of Psychiatry
    Dell Medical School
  • Michael Mackert Michael Mackert, PhD Director, Center for Health Communication;
    Professor, School of Advertising & Public Relations
    Moody College of Communication
  • Maria Monge Maria Monge, MD Assistant Professor
    Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
    Dell Medical School
  • Jewel Mullen Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH Associate Professor
    Departments of Population Health and Internal Medicine;
    Associate Dean for Health Equity
    Dell Medical School
  • Uchenna Ossai Uchenna Ossai, DPT, PT, WCS, CLT Manager, Pelvic Health Program, UT Health Austin;
    Assistant Professor, Department of Women's Health
    Dell Medical School
  • Michael Parent Michael Parent, PhD Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology;
    Director, Gender, Sexuality, and Behavioral Health Lab
    College of Education
  • Lynn Rew Lynn Rew, EdD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN Denton & Louise Cooley and Family Centennial Professor in Nursing
    School of Nursing
  • Stephen Russell Stephen Russell, PhD Department Chair, Department Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Natural Sciences;
    Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts;
    Director, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Health and Rights Laboratory
  • Rene Salazar René Salazar, MD Professor, Departments of Medical Education and Internal Medicine;
    Assistant Dean for Diversity
    Dell Medical School
  • Phillip Schnarrs Phillip Schnarrs, PhD Associate Professor
    Department of Population Health
    Dell Medical School