About the Center

Three women holding pride flags.

Photo Credit: Disabled And Here

The Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research (CSGMHR) is a leader in training for established and emerging researchers committed to improving the health and lives of sexual and gender minority (SGM) people. The center aims to advance Columbia University School of Nursing’s social justice for health equity mission and the nursing profession’s Code of Ethics by helping to close gaps in knowledge, reduce health disparities, and improve quality of life for current and future generations of SGM people.

CSGMHR researchers aim to expand theoretical frameworks and perspectives on SGM health and broaden the focus of research from an individual, deficit focus to include social determinants of health. Studies focus on SGM people across the lifespan, emphasize resilience, and employ innovative longitudinal, dyadic, and sibling-comparison designs. The center’s goal is to produce research that will help enhance health care delivery and quality and ultimately improve the health and well-being of all SGM individuals and communities. 

The CSGMHR hosts educational lectures, workshops, symposia and/or summits focusing on SGM health disparities. Additionally, the center provides resources (e.g., pilot funding) and mentorship to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and faculty affiliated with Columbia Nursing for projects that focus on SGM health.

CSGMHR Center Goals:  

  • Promote and expand research to reduce SGM-related health disparities and improve health and well-being of SGM individuals across the lifespan. 
  • Train the next generation of SGM health researchers to address limitations in the current workforce and increase the number of researchers trained in SGM research from underrepresented groups. 
  • Educate established researchers about the importance of SGM status on health and about best practices for including SGM measures in in their studies. 

Program for the Study of LGBT Health 

The CSGMHR builds on a long and strong focus on sexual and gender minority health established through the Program for the Study of LGBT Health, a joint venture with Columbia University School of Nursing, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The program aims to promote the health and well-being of SGM people, their families, and communities through research, clinical practice, education and training, and innovative policy development. Walter Bockting, professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry and Nursing), is director of the program.

Learn More About the Program

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Watch Faculty and Fellows of the Center Discuss LGBT Health Policy Issues