DESCRIPTION: The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Health (SOGI Health) Lab is affiliated with the Department of Family Science and the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Directed by Dr. Jessica Fish the research group convenes faculty, students, and community partners in an effort to better understand and support the positive development and health of LGBTQ young people. The UM Scholar will get hands-on experience conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method studies on LGBTQ people and their families.
In this experience, the UM Scholar can expect to gain skills in reading and synthesizing scientific research in the area of LGBTQ youth development, families, and health, including methods for how to conduct LGBTQ-related research. The project will involve research project coordination, including administrative tasks related to research project development and management (e.g., human subjects research, institutional review board applications, participant recruitment strategies). The UM Scholar will also be expected to design research surveys for data collection and analysis, quantitative and qualitative data cleaning and data management. This research project will also offer UM Scholar the opportunity to build and maintain community partnerships for research and program development in the area of LGBTQ health. Research communication and writing (e.g., research publications, research briefs, conference-style presentations, website stories, and social media) will also be a part of this project.
The UM Scholar will work directly with Dr. Fish and in a team environment with other undergraduate and graduate student researchers to help develop these skills. UM Scholar is expected to identify a specific project area of interest from our ongoing project list (see link below).
IDEAL CANDIDATE: We are ideally looking for students from social work, nursing, and medicine, but are willing to take on any students who are interested in learning more about conducting research in the area of LGBTQ people and health.
LOCATION: Hybrid: Remote & In-person
PROJECT LEAD/PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jessica Fish, PhD, Assistant Professor, Family Science, Deputy Director for Research and Evaluation, University of Maryland Prevention Research Center, Faculty Affiliate, Maryland Population Research Center, University of Maryland, College Park
BIO: https://sph.umd.edu/people/jessica-fish
EMAIL: jnfish@umd.edu
For more information and for a list of our ongoing projects, please visit our website at https://sph.umd.edu/laboratory-resources/sogi-health-lab.
International Students: F-1 or J-1 students must obtain Office of International Service (OIS) authorization for this activity. If you are interested in applying, please contact OIS at ois-info@umaryland.edu before submitting your application. They will assist you in determining your specific eligibility. When reaching out, be sure to specify the particular project of interest and include a link to description.