Postdoctoral Position – LGBTQ Policy Lab and the Center for Research on Inequality and Health

The Vanderbilt LGBTQ Policy Lab and the Vanderbilt Center for Research on Inequality and Health are seeking applications for one or more postdoctoral scholars in the areas LGBTQ population health and health disparities to begin in Summer/Fall 2025. The ideal candidate is a quantitative social scientist who has experience with statistical programming and analysis in Stata, SAS, or R. A PhD in sociology, demography, health services research, economics, public health, health policy and/or politics, psychology, human development and family sciences, or a related field is required. 

Faculty with available openings in their labs include Dr. Gilbert Gonzales (health policy and public health), Dr. Tara McKay (sociology), Dr. Kirsty Clark (public health and psychology), and Dr. Kitt Carpenter (economics). Examples of ongoing faculty research include: developing algorithms to ascertain gender identity information and health outcomes in medical claims data; an ongoing longitudinal study of older LGBTQ adults in the US South; secondary data analyses of population-based studies focused on LGBTQ health; an intensive longitudinal study of proximal factors for suicidal ideation in LGBTQ youth; and analyses of health disparities in medical records and other secondary data sources.

 **The administrative home of this postdoctoral appointment will be in Vanderbilt’s Department of Medicine, Health & Society, a multidisciplinary department that brings together faculty from across the social sciences, arts and humanities, health sciences to investigate  cultural, economic, demographic, and biological factors that impact health. The postdoctoral scholar will also be encouraged to attend seminars and workshops at the  Departments of Economics, Health Policy, Epidemiology, and/or other units as appropriate.

Responsibilities include:

1.       Carrying out a full-time active research program focusing primarily on LGBTQ health, populations, and policies, including solo/first authored publications and/or joint papers with Vanderbilt LGBTQ Policy Lab faculty and external collaborators.

2.       Attending a weekly colloquium series on LGBTQ health inequities, policies, and populations.

3.       Mentoring, with supervision from LGBTQ Policy Lab faculty, undergraduate and graduate student research.

Depending on interest and professional development goals, the postdoctoral scholar will also have opportunities to guest lecture in courses related to LGBTQ health and network with campus and community leaders on LGBTQ health equity and policy. 

The Vanderbilt LGBTQ Policy Lab is an institution unique to Vanderbilt University that brings together a multi-disciplinary group of scholars to study the causes and consequences of policies targeting or affecting LGBTQ people in the US. Since 2017, the LGBTQ Policy Lab has grown to become key site of research advancement and research training in the LGBTQ health and policy space. In 2024, the Lab was received the National Institutes of Health Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Prize for exemplary leadership in DEIA training in health research. Our faculty’s research has been published in high-impact journals such as JAMA, LGBT Health, Social Science and Medicine, Clinical Psychological Science and The New England Journal of Medicine; covered by NBC, PBS, the New York Post, and the Washington Post; and cited in Supreme Court briefs on marriage equality and LGBTQ employment nondiscrimination.

The Vanderbilt LGBTQ Policy Lab shares space with the Vanderbilt Center for Research on Inequality and Health. This center brings together Vanderbilt’s multidisciplinary expertise across a range of topics spanning inequality and health, including LGBTQ health, firearm violence, and social and economic inequality and health.

Faculty prioritize training of postdoctoral mentees and their retention in LGBTQ-related research. Previous postdoctoral fellows trained in the LGBTQ Policy Lab have secured tenure-track faculty positions at R1 universities; won prestigious awards including the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Fellow of the Year award; published in top-tier journals such as JAMA Pediatrics; and gained employment at the country’s leading policy think tanks such as RAND.

All postdoctoral scholars will be supervised by a member of the Vanderbilt University LGBTQ Policy Lab leadership team ((Tara Mckay PhD, Kitt Carpenter PhD, Gilbert Gonzales PhD, or Kirsty Clark PhD) and will establish a professional mentoring committee that includes one or more core faculty mentors depending on discipline. A list of core faculty is available on the LGBTQ Policy Lab website. Applications are evaluated based on mentorship match, potential for growth, training needs, and topic relevance to the Lab’s mission. 

Fellowships will begin 7/1/2025 (negotiable), with an initial end date of 6/30/2026, and a one-year renewal for the 2026-2027 academic year pending successful evaluation of year 1 performance. Our preference is for candidates to be able to spend two academic years in residence at Vanderbilt. This is an in-person role based in Nashville, Tennessee. The postdoc will be expected to work in-person at least 3 days per week. Each position carries a twelve-month salary of $72,500, office space, health insurance, and eligibility for other benefits (see https://www.vanderbilt.edu/postdoc/faqs/). This full-time and in-residence position requires a physical presence in Nashville for the term of the fellowship.

Open until filled; Recommended submission by Dec 15, 2024, for full consideration.

Applicants should provide a cover letter describing interesting in the position and future research plans, CV, a research paper or writing sample, and three letters of recommendations at: http://apply.interfolio.com/154623. Applications will be reviewed immediately and until the positions are filled.