Michigan State University researchers are studying the experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities within the healthcare system, as more and more people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

With faculty and students from three colleges and nine departments, the Consortium for Sexual and Gender Minority Health, housed in the MSU School of Social Work within the College of Social Science, focuses on physical, mental, emotional, and community health and well-being across the lifespan, intersecting identities, and social contexts.

“We are forming a collaborative network of peer-to-peer social support and mentorship for research and scholars that have, historically, been relegated to the margins,” said Consortium Director Dr. Carla A. Pfeffer (she/her). 

Kristen A. Renn (she/her), the Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education, is the College of Education faculty member serving on the panel. Her research centers on college student learning, development and success in higher education, with current projects focusing on low-income, first-generation students and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender college students.

“Being part of this group of researchers from across campus gives me insight into how the larger landscape of health and wellbeing intersect with my work on LGBTQIA+ college students,” said Renn, also MSU’s associate dean of undergraduate studies for student success research. “The Consortium for SGM Health is a critical hub on campus for understanding LGBTQIA+ people’s lives interact with social and policy contexts such as education.”

For the full story, visit socialscience.msu.edu