MSU Consortium for SGM Health announces inaugural $1,500 Graduate Student Research Award

April 18, 2022 - Karessa Weir

Research in LGBTQ+ health is becoming an increasingly necessary field to identify and eliminate barriers to access of mental and physical healthcare for people of all ages. New research is also changing norms across the healthcare world, challenging long-held assumptions and recognizing the unique healthcare needs of the LGBTQ+ community. That’s why researchers at MSU, within the College of Social Science, are studying the experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities within the healthcare system.

To continue this invaluable work, MSU graduate students working in this area now have a new opportunity to win a research award to assist in travel, registrations and other expenses.The $1,500 award is open to all graduate students in all colleges, departments and schools at MSU.

“As part of our mentorship and support of graduate students, we introduce the MSU Consortium for SGM Health Graduate Student Research Award. This will help fund the completion and/or dissemination of social science research on SGM health that reflects and/or advances the mission and aims of the Consortium,” said Consortium Director Dr. Carla Pfeffer, professor of Social Work, the lead on this research project.

To be considered for this award, please send an email with a PDF attachment of your research proposal or work in progress, along with an itemized budget that includes research expenses (e.g., costs for transcription and/or translation, participant payments, digital recorders, software, books, editing services, research travel, conference registration and/or travel fees, journal submission and/or publication fees) and a detailed research completion timeline, toDr. Pfeffer (cpfeffer@msu.edu) no later than April 30, 2022. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. No letter of nomination is required for the submission to be considered. Submissions will be evaluated by members of the Consortium for SGM Health faculty. 

The winner will be announced by June 2022.

The Michigan State University Consortium for Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Health is comprised of faculty and graduate students from Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, African American and African Studies, Criminal Justice, and Education. Its members study sexual and gender minority physical and mental health with a focus on minority stress, the life course perspective, and intersectionality, using social ecological approaches. 

“The MSU Consortium for Sexual and Gender Minority Health is dedicated to supporting the overall wellbeing and health of LGBTQIA+ individuals across the lifespan. Grounded in the social sciences, we promote interdisciplinary SGM health research and collaborations that are vital to SGM communities. We provide mentorship and training to faculty and graduate students across and beyond MSU, engage with community stakeholders, and develop evidence-based strategies for promoting systemic change, social justice, and SGM health and wellness locally, nationally, and internationally. The Consortium serves as a coordinating resource for social science research in SGM health and aims to establish the College of Social Science at MSU as a national leader in SGM health research,” said Dr. Pfeffer.