Dr. Mustanski, Director
| Contact Information |
Mail:
Department of Medical Social Sciences
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
625 N. Michigan Ave
Suite 2700
Chicago, IL 60611
Program Assistant:
Ryan Coventry ryan.coventry@northwestern.edu
| Bio |
Brian Mustanski, Ph.D., is Tenured Associate Professor of Medical Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Psychology at Northwestern University; Director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing and the IMPACT Program; and Co-Director of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research. A central focus of his research is on the relationships between mental, behavioral, and physical health, particularly as they relate to HIV/AIDS in vulnerable populations. He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University, where he trained extensively at the Kinsey Institute. Dr. Mustanski has been a Principal Investigator for federal (NIH, CDC, NSF) and foundation research and training awards totaling over $24 million in funding. The majority of his research focuses on the health and development of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth and the application of new media and technology to sexual health promotion and HIV prevention. He has received a number of award for his work in this area, included being named a William T Grant Scholar, the 2011 recipient of the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution to LGBT Psychology from the American Psychological Association Division 44, and the Award for Excellence and Innovation in Sexuality Education from the World Association for Sexual Health.
Dr. Mustanski leads a large translational research program of HIV and LGBT health projects. These include studies of the ethics of conducting LGBT health research with adolescents (funded by the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities), the epidemiology of HIV among young gay/bisexual men (funded by the CDC with Dr. Newcomb as co-PI), and interventions to prevent HIV among young gay/bisexual men (funded by the National institute of Mental Health and National Institute on Drug Abuse). He is currently leading a large-scale study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to understand the interplay between biology, romantic relationships, networks, and neighborhoods in explaining the epidemic of HIV among young gay/bisexual men.
The IMPACT program, directed by Dr. Mustanski, has a mission to conduct translational research that improves the health of the LGBT community and to increase understanding of the development of sexual orientation and gender identity. We seek to develop the capacity of the LGBT community to conduct health research and translate research findings into practical interventions. We do this by training the next generation of LGBT health scholars, such as through our HRSA funded Psychology Internship in LGBT Health—the first track of its kind in the nation. Much of our research is conducted in partnership with community-based organizations that serve the LGBT community. IMPACT is a resident partner of the Center on Halsted, the most comprehensive LGBT resource center in the Midwest, which includes a large HIV testing program, a state-wide HIV/STD hotline, mental health serves, and a large and active youth program. The integration of IMPACT within the Center facilitates the translation of research into practice, state-of-the art evaluation of practice, training of clinical-researchers in LGBT health, engagement of the LGBT community with research, and provides “on the ground” expertise to inform our research agenda and methods. To support dissemination of findings, the IMPACT Program maintains the www.impactprogram.org webpage, which includes information about IMPACT Program research, along with research and policy news and sexual health resources for LGBT youth.
Dr. Mustanski also conducts research in the area of psychiatric and behavioral genetics. In 2005 he co-authored the first genome scan of male sexual orientation and he was the leader of a NIDA funded natural experiment to study gene-environment interaction. Dr. Mustanski has also served as a Co-Investigator on multiple other studies of gene-environment interplay, helping to serve as a bridge between biomedical and behavioral scientists.
| Training Opportunities |
Dr. Mustanski supervises trainees that include undergraduates and Post-Docs. You can find our more about training opportunities through IMPACT.
| Research Projects and Programs |
Current studies span the translational spectrum from basic epidemiological studies of prevalence of health domains, to longitudinal studies of risk and protective processes, to the development and testing of interventions. Read more about current projects.
| Curriculum Vita |
PDF | January, 2015
Publications listed in pubmed.
| News |
Find out what’s new at IMPACT.
Mail:
Brian Mustanski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry
University of Illinois at Chicago
Mail Code 747, Suite 155
1747 W. Roosevelt Rd
Chicago, IL 60608