CAPS/PRC Town Hall presents: Jessica Fish, PhD -- A Life Course Perspective for Understanding and Addressing Sexual Minority Health Equity

Compromised mental, behavioral, and physical health show up in people who are sexual minorities, and sexual-orientation-related health inequities are largely associated with experiences of stigma. Yet, mental and behavioral health risk varies across the life course and are linked to developmentally-situated social experiences. Using several population-based studies, Dr. Fish will present results across three studies that showcase the dynamic nature of sexual-orientation-related health disparities across the life course and the associations with discrimination. Findings suggest that methods that attune to health across the life course may provide answers to when prevention and intervention strategies may be particularly effective for addressing sexual minority population health inequities.

Dr. Jessica Fish, Assistant Professor of Family Science at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, Prevention Research Center (PRC) is a human development and family science scholar whose research focuses on the health and well-being of sexual and gender minority (i.e., lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender) people and their families. Broadly, Dr. Fish studies the sociocultural and interpersonal factors that shape the development and health of sexual and gender minority youth and adults. Her overarching goal is to identify modifiable factors that contribute to sexual and gender minority health disparities in order to inform developmentally-sensitive policies, programs, and prevention strategies that promote the health of sexual and gender minority people across the life course.