Midwest SGM (Sexual and Gender Minorities) Health Research Consortium

The Midwest SGM (Sexual and Gender Minorities) Health Research Consortium is a collaboration university researchers, and community partners sharing the common goal of mobilizing facilitating SGM health research with a community engaged focus.

Current members represent states, universities, and medical centers across the Midwest. Established in 2019, the Consortium organization oversight is located in the Equitas Health Institute.

Inclusivity                Diversity                     Equity                    Intersectionality

Our Vision

We aspire to lead and encourage collaborative research that fosters an understanding of the experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals and research that improves the health and wellbeing of the SGM community. Sexual and gender minorities include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people – anyone whose sexual or gender identity does not conform to social norms of sexual orientation or gender.

Our Values

The Consortium is committed to upholding these values in all of our work: Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Intersectionality

Our Mission

The mission of the Midwest Health Research Consortium is to

  • Connect researchers from numerous disciplines with the SGM community to forge collaborations and stimulate innovative research to improve SGM health and wellbeing.
  • Provide unique opportunities for high-level research and training for the next generation of SGM researchers.
  • Utilize innovative modalities to disseminate knowledge widely to the SGM community, the public at large, researchers, service providers, educators, and policymakers.

 

Our Purpose

The Consortium supports transdisciplinary research and scholarship focused on identifying, understanding and addressing the health needs of diverse SGM individuals.

Our Goals

  • A major focus of the Consortium is to study the structural, social, and psychological determinants of health disparities for SGM communities and to design and implement evidence-informed and evidence-based interventions to reduce health disparities.
  • The Consortium maintains a community-engaged and community based participatory research focus.
  • We strive to actively collaborate with partner organizations serving SGM communities toward the ultimate goals of reducing health disparities and achieving health equity for the communities we serve.
  • We view all partners as collaborators in all aspects of research from initial planning to dissemination.
  • We are committed to the meaningful and active inclusion of community voices as leaders and partners in our research.
  • We value lived experience as equally – if not more – important as formal academic training.
  • We ensure our priorities are tied not to the availability of funding, but to the needs and health priorities of the communities we serve.
  • We reject academic hierarchies and support participation and leadership from all team members and partners.
  • We are committed to empowerment and training for students, team members, and community partners as a primary goal and not an afterthought.
  • The Consortium is committed to the training and mentoring of students and junior faculty, as well as those new to the field of SGM health research.
  • We aim to build research and community capacity in SGM health research by strategically growing an interdisciplinary cadre of scholars addressing issues of health disparities.

Consortium Membership

Eligibility: Any scientist, researcher, health professional, educator, student, activist, community service provider or community member committed to the mission, vision and values of the Consortium.

No dues are required at this time, but we request annual renewal of interest, professional biography and contact information.

Contact us at InstituteResearch@equitashealth.com

Midwest SGM Health Research Consortium logo

Organizations and University Members represent (Membership represents the individual member and not necessarily the organization/university at large, current as of 7-2020 )

Universities

  • Ohio University
  • Case Western Reserve University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Wright State
  • Kent State
  • University of Cincinnati
  • Cleveland State
  • Bowling Green
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Chicago (MacLean Center for Clinical Medicine)

Medical Centers

  • MetroHealth (Cleveland)
  • Cleveland Clinic
  • OhioHealth
  • Nationwide Children’s
  • Cincinnati Children’s
  • Dayton Children’s

Community

  • Ohio Department of Health
  • Equitas Health Institute
  • Stark County Mental Health and Recovery
  • Robin Institute