# 2021 National LGBTQ Health Conference: Bridging Research and Practice

> **NIH NIH R13** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $50,000

## Abstract

The 2021 National LGBTQ Health Conference will bring together leading researchers and
practitioners, trainees and students to bridge research and practice to address health disparities
for sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. This proposal requests funding for a 3-day
conference in Chicago for the 7th National LGBTQ Health Conference. This conference has
been successfully hosted in Chicago since 2012 by the conference founders, the Northwestern
Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH) and Center on Halsted
(COH). Given that the southern US is disproportionately impacted by HIV, STDs and SGM
health disparities, in 2019 ISGMH and COH recruited Emory University to jointly organize the
2019 conference in Atlanta. In 2021, the Conference will be hosted again in Chicago and will be
planned jointly by ISGMH at Northwestern, COH and Emory. The 2021 conference will build on
the previous successful conferences and will continue to increase its national visibility, its
academic-community partnerships and its focus on including underrepresented minorities in the
planning, execution and reach of the conference.
The conference aims to improve both research and practice on SGM health by convening an
interprofessional audience to present and discuss cutting-edge translational findings in the field;
to train the next generation of practitioners and researchers in SGM health; and to disseminate
the findings broadly to the general public, policymakers, and SGM communities nationwide in
addition to academics, clinicians and service providers. A major goal of the conference is to
increase participation by traditionally underrepresented groups in science, including women and
transgender people, racial/ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. The overall goal of this
conference is to catalyze research to reduce and eliminate health disparities among SGM
people. These disparities are severe and affect life expectancy, mental and physical health,
access to and quality of care, and overall quality of life. Critical disparities are found in risk and
incidence of mental health issues including suicide, substance abuse, cancer, HIV and other
STIs and are linked to minority status, stigma, discrimination, and denial of human and civil
rights. As is the case among other minorities experiencing disparities, these disparities are not
born equally among all SGM people: transgender people, SGM people of color and low-income
people bear a disproportionate burden of these disparities. The proposed 2021 National LGBTQ
Health Conference is a unique opportunity to gather the best knowledge and practice in the field
through an intersectional lens to improve the lives of all SGM people.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10070917
- **Project number:** 1R13MD015672-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian Mustanski
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-10 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10070917

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10070917, 2021 National LGBTQ Health Conference: Bridging Research and Practice (1R13MD015672-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10070917. Licensed CC0.

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