We are dedicated to conducting research that illuminates the need to combat LGBTQ+ health disparities. In collaboration with universities and community organizations, Equitas Health Institute has at its core the mission of bettering the lives of LGBTQ+ people.

Proposed and current research and capacity building opportunities

• Building a consortium of statewide university based researchers with the common goal of conducting neglected LGBTQ+ medical and health research.
• Involvement in The Ohio State University Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant funded NEST study to combat the dramatic rise in syphilis in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Central Ohio.
• Development of an online academic journal that would analyze health issues pertinent to Sexual Gender Minorities (SGM) .
• Serving as a site for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Regional Workshop for regionally based academic investigators interested in SGM health research.
• Recruitment of academic faculty as Adjunct Faculty/Investigators and community stakeholders as Associated Trainers, each with the ability to collaborate with Equitas Health on research projects and community engagement.
• Collaboration with the Ohio University Heritage College of Medicine on the possible use of virtual reality to build empathy for LGBTQ+ patients in medical providers.
• Giving research support for The Ohio State University and Bowling Green University’s National Couple’s Health and Time Study, a five-year long project that follows the health of same-gender couples.
• Conduct the Catalyst Lecture Series with influential speakers in the field of LGBTQ+ issues.