The Department regularly examines social policies and health reforms and how they affect health and access to medical care in vulnerable families and children, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community and those in minority racial and ethnic groups. Recent work has examined barriers to care, mental health and health care utilization by transgender individuals, comparisons of health risk factors between LGB adults and heterosexual adults in the US, and the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and health insurance coverage on LGB adults. The work of Velma Murry, PhD and Christopher “Kitt” Carpenter, PhD both University Distinguished Professors of Health Policy, have explored these areas, as well as Nathaniel Tran, PhD, a Department doctoral graduate, now faculty at University of Illinois-Chicago.
Recent research has explored the association of gender-affirming care and the likelihood these populations seek preventive care, trends in LGBTQ+ mental health populations and the prevalence of systemic racism in current statistical research methods with the goal of improving equity and equity analysis.
Associate Professor Gilbert Gonzales, PhD, provided evidence in a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research that access to legal same-sex marriage significantly increased marriage take-up among men and women, and was associated with significant increases in health insurance, access to care, and utilization for men in same-sex households. The results provide the first evidence that legal access to same-sex marriage improved health for adult gay men.
More recently, Tran has published new research that showed LGBTQ+ adults face more severe cognitive decline but often lack adequate access to resources to live independently. The research earned Tran the Laurence G. Branch doctoral research award at the 2022 American Public Health Association national conference.