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Faculty & Affiliates

Faculty

Nanette Benbow

Nanette Benbow

(she/her)
  • Research Assistant Professor
Nanette Benbow, MAS, is a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; co-director of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (TC CFAR) Behavioral, Social, and Implementation Sciences (BSIS) Core; and member of the Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology. Her research interests include the use of epidemiologic and network modeling to improve HIV prevention and care continua. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Michelle Birkett

Michelle Birkett

(she/her)
  • Associate Professor
Michelle Birkett, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Center for Computational & Social Sciences in Health (COMPASS). She is a core faculty member in the Impact Institute. Birkett's research uses network and quantitative methodologies to understand the social contextual influence of stigma on the health and wellbeing of marginalized populations, and in particular, sexual and gender minority youth. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Elizabeth Casline

Elizabeth Casline

(she/her)
  • Research Assistant Professor
Elizabeth Casline, PhD, is a research assistant professor at the Impact Institute. She is a child and adolescent clinical psychologist and implementation scientist. Her research interests center on improving the effectiveness of sexual and behavioral health services for sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth. Her work focuses on adapting interventions for SGM youth using participatory methods, increasing the use of measurement-based care to guide clinical-decision-making, and applying dissemination and implementation science strategies to improve intervention adoption and fidelity. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Patrick Janulis

Patrick Janulis

(he/him)
  • Associate Professor
Patrick Janulis, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. Janulis is a co-investigator on Network Canvas, a software suite for capturing social network and other complex data in effort to better understand the spread of HIV. He serves as the quantitative methodologist for the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Sumanas Jordan

Sumanas Jordan

(she/her)
  • Assistant Professor
Sumanas Jordan, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of plastic surgery at Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine plastic surgeon specializing in gender-affirming surgery and transgender health care. Jordan is also medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Gender Pathways Program and core faculty at the Impact Institute.  Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Leiszle R. Lapping-Carr

Leiszle R. Lapping-Carr

(she/her)
  • Assistant Professor
Leiszle R. Lapping-Carr, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. Lapping-Carr's clinical and research interests focus on sexual and relationship health during the perinatal period. Her current research is some of the first nationwide to examine rates of perinatal depression symptoms in sexual and gender minorities. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Dennis Li

Dennis Li

(he/him)
  • Assistant Professor
Dennis Li, MPH, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology at Feinberg School of Medicine. His research interests center on the development and implementation of technology-enabled sexual health promotion programs for young people, particularly sexual and gender minority youth. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Kathryn R. Macapagal

Kathryn R. Macapagal

(she/her)
  • Associate Professor
Kathryn Macapagal, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and associate director of the THRIVE Center within the Impact Institute. She conducts translational, social-behavioral and implementation research focused on improving the health and wellbeing of sexual and gender minority adolescents and young adults. Earlier in her career, she focused on ethical issues in HIV prevention research among SGM adolescents, a topic that underpins all her work in adolescent health. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Brian Mustanski

Brian Mustanski

(he/him)
  • Professor
Brian Mustanski, PhD is director of the Northwestern University Impact Institute and the NIH-funded Third Coast Center for AIDS Research. His research focuses on the health and development of LGBTQ youth and the application of new media and technology to HIV prevention. He has been a Principal Investigator of over $70 million in federal and foundation grants and has published over 360 journal articles; according to Clarivate, his papers' citations make him one of the most highly cited researchers globally. Dr. Mustanski is a frequent advisor to federal and local agencies on LGBTQ health and sexual health, including being appointed to multiple federal advisory committees. NBC News selecting him from 1,600 nominees to their inaugural list of 30 changemakers and innovators making a positive difference in the LGBTQ community. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Michael E. Newcomb

Michael E. Newcomb

(he/him)
  • Associate Professor
Michael E. Newcomb, PhD, is a tenured associate professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the THRIVE Center at the Impact Institute. Dr. Newcomb’s research broadly focuses on health disparities in LGBT youth, particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug use, and mental health problems. His work emphasizes the interpersonal contexts that influence health outcomes, including romantic relationships and families. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Gregory Phillips II

Gregory Phillips II

(he/him)
  • Associate Professor
Gregory Phillips II, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine and founder of the Evaluation, Data Integration, and Technical Assistance (EDIT) Program at the Impact Institute. His research focuses on understanding social-, sexual-, and network-level factors that drive the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women, particularly among youth and racial/ethnic minority populations. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Maria Pyra

Maria Pyra

(she/her)
  • Assistant Professor
Maria Pyra, MPH, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences and the Impact Institute at Northwestern University. She also collaborates with Howard Brown Health as a senior epidemiologist. Her work focuses on sexual and reproductive health, as well as using implementation science to improve the equitable delivery of HIV and STI prevention. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Ado Rivera

Ado Rivera

(he/him)
  • Assistant Professor
Ado Rivera, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine and serves as  quantitative methodologist at the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research. His research aims to understand the socio-biologic drivers of health disparities in aging and chronic disease risk of sexual and gender minority populations and people with HIV and use this knowledge to identify health system-based interventions. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Joshua Schrock

Joshua Schrock

(he/him)
  • Research Assistant Professor
Joshua Schrock, PhD, MPH, researches the connections between social context, physiology, and health. His work at the Impact Institute investigates risk factors and health outcomes associated with systemic inflammation among young men who have sex with men participating in the RADAR project. Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Madison Shea Smith

Madison Shea Smith

(she/her)
  • Research Assistant Professor
Madison Shea Smith, PhD, is a research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Smith’s research focuses on the bidirectional association of romantic relationships and health, with an emphasis on SGM communities and advanced quantitative methods. Dr. Smith works primarily on all2GETHER, an innovative HIV prevention and relationship education program. Dr. Smith also coordinates measurement for RADAR, a multilevel longitudinal cohortstudy of men who have sex with men (MSM). Feinberg Faculty Profile.
Steven Thrasher

Steven Thrasher

(he/him)
  • Assistant Professor and Daniel H. Renberg Chair
Steven Thrasher, PhD, is an assistant professor and the inaugural Daniel H. Renberg chair of social justice in reporting at Medill School of Journalism, the first journalism professorship in the world to focus on LGBTQ issues. Thrasher is a transdisciplinary scholar of HIV/AIDS and a practicing journalist whose writing explores the intersections of racism and health disparities in American society and culture. Medill Faculty Profile.
Cindy Veldhuis

Cindy Veldhuis

(she/her)
  • Assistant Professor
Cindy Veldhuis (pronounced Veld-hice), PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences whose research is funded by an NIH/NIAAA K99/R00. Broadly, her research focuses on LGBTQIA+ women’s relationships and health as well as violence, trauma, mental health, and the impacts of sociopolitical events on wellbeing. Feinberg Faculty Profile. 
Christine Wood

Christine Wood

(they/them)
  • Assistant Professor
Christine Wood, PhD, is a research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine and core faculty at the Impact Institute. Wood is a medical sociologist dedicated to increasing capacity in the biomedical workforce. Feinberg Faculty Profile.

Affiliates