This month’s research seminar features faculty and staff from the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) who will discuss various aspects of the Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Program.  Deondra Rose from the Sanford School of Public Policy will be the discussant.

Sara LeGrand will speak on:

• • The Duke SGM Health Program
• • Snapshots of current projects
• • Development of the SGM Health Best Practices Knowledgebase

Hy Huynh will speak on:

• • SGM Health Policy Work
• • Development of the SGM Health Policy Database Website

Ashley Blewitt-Golsch will speak on:

• • SGM Health Student Engagement and Research at Duke
• • Commitment to Responsible Community Outreach and Inclusion

Kate Whetten will speak on:

• • Research Priorities of the SGM Health Program
• • Opportunities for Collaboration with Population Health
• • NIH funding opportunities

When: Thursday, January 28, 3:30–5:00 PM

Where: Zoom 

About Our Speakers

Sara LeGrand is an Associate Research Professor of Global Health at the Duke Global Health Institute and the Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research. She conducts social and behavioral research related to HIV prevention and care focusing on reducing HIV disparities among adolescent and young adult sexual and gender minorities. She is particularly interested in the design and evaluation of digital health interventions to address HIV disparities. She also studies the social determinants of health that contribute to mental, physical, and social health outcomes; health behaviors; and access to health care across the life course. LeGrand has a PhD in Health Services Research from UNC Charlotte.

Ashley Blewitt-Golsch is a Medical Anthropologist and Project Coordinator for the Duke Sexual and Gender Minority Health Program. She supports research aimed at examining and addressing the health disparities faced by sexual and gender minorities in the southern US and the Global South. Her other research interests include rural SGM healthcare accessibility, “bottom-up” epistemologies of minority health narratives, and the critical analysis of constructions of gender in popular culture. Blewitt-Golsch received her Master’s in Anthropology from the University of Denver.

Hy Huynh is a Global Mental Health Disparities Researcher and a Social Impact Communications & Outreach Specialist. He is currently an Associate in Research at the Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research (CHPIR). Huynh's research focuses on child protection and inclusion and child and adolescent mental health, particularly for marginalized youth populations. Huynh received his PhD in International Family & Community Studies from Clemson University.

Kate Whetten is a Professor of Public Policy and Global Health and Director of CHPIR. Whetten's work looks at understanding health disparities focusing on life course events and social/environmental factors that influence health-related behaviors and wellbeing. All of Whetten's research is grounded in the idea that public policies can make a difference in people's lives. Whetten received their PhD from UNC Chapel HiIl.