Kristi Gamarel, Associate Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Research Associate Professor of the Population Studies Center, has been awarded the 2024 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Sexual & Gender Minority (SGM) Mid-Career Investigator Award. The award given by the NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) recognizes Gamarel’s substantial and outstanding research contributions to the field of sexual and gender minority research.

Largely focused on using CBPR principles in community-engaged interventions, her program of research focuses on addressing health inequities among LGBTQ+ communities in the context of HIV, mental health, substance use, and healthcare access. 

Gamarel is founding member of the “Love Her Collective,” a community-academic partnership with the Trans Sistas of Color Project (TSoCP). Through qualitative research, survey research, and intervention studies, the “Love Her Collective” is engaged in a number of research projects designed to address social determinants of HIV, including violence, gender affirmation, economic vulnerability, and health-harming legal needs. 

An additional area of her research focuses on dissemination and implementation science, including peer-delivered and digital health interventions. She has been actively involved with the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions (ATN) since 2014, including serving as a Protocol Chair for the ATN 157 and ATN 167 research protocols. She co-created and currently directs the ATN Communication-Dissemination Hub, which focuses on expediting the gap between research, practice, and policy and ensuring youth engagement throughout the ATN. 

Gamarel works closely with her mentees on the development of their independent programs of research, often focused on understanding the structural drivers of health inequities. She is an active mentor in the PSC pre- and postdoctoral training programs.

As the recipient of this award, Gamarel will give a virtual, 20-minute presentation on December 5, for the 2024 SGM Research Investigator Awards Program. 

The SGMRO gives awards to two early-stage investigators and one mid-career investigator who are poised to become future leaders in the field.

Contact: Tevah Platt