John Pachankis, Ph.D. is the Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry at Yale and Director of Yale's LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative. His research examines the mental health of LGBTQ populations globally and the efficacy of LGBTQ-affirmative mental health interventions. He has published 150+ scientific papers on LGBTQ mental health and stigma and recently co-edited the Handbook of Evidence-Based Mental Health Practice with Sexual and Gender Minorities published by Oxford University Press.
Audrey Harkess, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami. Her research focuses on mental health of LGBTQ populations, including mental health in the context of HIV prevention and treatment, mental health disparities and equity, and Latino/a/x LGBTQ communities in particular.
Skyler Jackson, Ph.D. is an Associate Research Scientist at Yale School of Public Health. As an award-winning researcher and psychologist, his work examines how experiences of stigma-if not adequately coped with-interfere with psychological functioning and contribute to health disparities. In particular, much of his published work helps illuminate the complex role of intersectional stigma in shaping the everyday lives and health outcomes of LGBTQ people of color.
Steven Safren Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Cooper Fellow at the University of Miami (UM) in the Department of Psychology. He is also Director of the UM Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM). For over 20 years, Dr. Safren has studied behavioral health related to sexual and gender minorities, much of which in the context of HIV prevention and treatment, both domestically and globally. He is a leading expert in cognitive behavioral therapy, has been the editor of the journal “Cognitive and Behavioral Practice”, and has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers in his field.