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. Students will get hands-on experience conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method studies on LGBTQ people and their families. In this experience students 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.
  • 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).
  • Designing research surveys for data collection and analysis.
  • Quantitative and qualitative data cleaning and data management.
  • Building and maintaining 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).

Students will work directly with Dr. Fish and in a team environment with other undergraduate and graduate student researchers to help develop these skills. Students are expected to identify a specific project area of interest from our ongoing project list (see website).

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 & Evaluation, University of Maryland Prevention Research Center, Faculty Affiliate, Maryland Population Research Center

BIO: https://sph.umd.edu/people/jessica-fish

EMAIL: jnfish@umd.edu