Gesundheit Österreich cordially invites to a lecture of Arjan van der Star:
LGBTIQ+ health inequity in a modern Europe: Expanding on and moving beyond existing stigma frameworks to advance research and policy
The event takes place in the framework of the European Public Health Week – Public health: Global issues, local actions. Please register here.
Overall, Europe has seen major strides in human rights, legal protections, and anti-discrimination laws for LGBTIQ+ individuals over the last few decades. These advances range from the passage of marriage equality laws, protections against workplace discrimination, to gender expansive passport markers. These factors are believed to be reflective of the general societal climate towards LGBTIQ+ individuals and have demonstrated to be important determinants of health. Yet, health inequities seem to persist in even some of the most progressive European countries and, recently new backlash and rapidly changing political climates have emerged. Empirical studies that merely focus on current, widely used stigma-based frameworks seem unable to fully explain these findings. The presentation will describe the current European landscape for LGBTIQ+ individuals, the health inequities faced by LGBTIQ+ populations across Europe, as well as introduce theoretical frameworks used to explain these inequities. The presentation will then focus on discussing recent advances in theory, potential new avenues to further explain the persisting inequities, their implications for research and policy, followed by highlighting important areas for leadership engagement and promising new interventions for advancing LGBTIQ+ health equity.
Dr. Arjan van der Star, Ph.D., M.Sc. (he/him) is a social epidemiologist and public health researcher investigating sexual and gender minority mental health. Dr. Van der Star’s research focuses on the complex mechanisms underlying sexual orientation-based and gender identity-based mental health disparities. Through his research, Dr. Van der Star primarily aims to advance the theoretical understanding of what drives and causes adverse mental health among sexual and gender minorities, to further help inform effective preventive policies and affirming interventions tailored for sexual and gender minorities.
Dr. Van der Star is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University and the Project Director of an NIMH-funded suicide prevention study for sexual and gender minority youth and young adults. Dr. Van der Star also acts as the President of the Sexual and Gender Minority Health section of the European Public Health Association. He obtained a Ph.D. degree from Karolinska Institutet in September 2020, which included fellowships at the Yale School of Public Health, and B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Welcoming and facilitation
Mag. Dr. Roman Winkler, MMSc
Head of Department Evidence and Quality Standards
Austrian National Public Health Institute (GÖG)
We look forward to your participation via Zoom and request online registration.
*** The event takes place in the framework of the European Public Health Week – Public health: Global issues, local actions: EPHW 163***