On the Heights: April 2026
April highlights include a special report on brain health, research on the impact of Michigan’s nutrition assistance programs, and awards for faculty and staff across departments.
Kristi Gamarel Results
Scientists: Excluding transgender individuals from HIV research hurts everyone
In an urgent commentary published in the journal Lancet HIV, University of Michigan researchers joined scientists from Emory and Yale universities to urge the scientific community and the public to resist the "erasure" of trans people from HIV research.
Kristi Gamarel wins NIH Award for Sexual & Gender Minority Research
Kristi Gamarel, associate chair and associate professor of Health Behavior & Health Equity, has been awarded the 2024 National Institutes of Health Sexual & Gender Minority Mid-Career Investigator Award. Her research addresses health inequities among LGBTQ+ communities in the context of HIV, mental health, substance use, and healthcare access.
Researchers evaluating program aimed at HIV prevention and care for trans youth of color
Q&A with Kristi Gamarel and Sari Reisner
Kristi Gamarel and Sari Reisner are leading an evaluation of a program called LEAP (Legal, Economic, and Affirming Peer Support) as part of the NIH-funded Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions. LEAP addresses social factors that have been linked to inequities in HIV prevention and care outcomes for trans youth of color.
Trans Young Adults Risk Homelessness, Racism When Migrating in Search of Gender Affirmation, Safety
New Research from Kristi Gamarel
Young transgender adults often relocate to cities like San Francisco where they feel safer and have access to adequate health care, but the migration might place them at risk of homelessness, unemployment and racism, say University of Michigan researchers.
Michigan Public Health to Launch HIV Prevention Program for Transgender Women and Their Partners
New Project Led by Kristi Gamarel
More than 20 percent of transgender women are currently living with HIV, and transgender women are nearly 50 times more likely to contract HIV than cisgender individuals. A research team led by Kristi Gamarel, assistant professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, is working to address this health inequity.