The IMPACT program was started in 2008 at the University of Chicago by Dr. Brian Mustanski. In 2011, the program moved to Northwestern University and currently has four faculty members on the team. The program runs out of the Center on Halsted in Lakeview. Dr. Birkett says the location of the center is important because it is a more LGBT friendly area compared to where research participants come from.
Meet the IMPACT team
The mission at IMPACT is to :
"conduct translational research that improves the health of sexual minority people and to increase understanding of the development of sexual orientation and gender identity. We seek to develop the capacity of the LGBT community to conduct health research and translate research findings into practical interventions. IMPACT’s unique collaboration with community-based organizations facilitates the translation of our research findings into future intervention, practice, and policy."
What exactly is research? Dr. Birkett says it is observing a trend in a community and trying to figure out why it is happening through science. Research findings can help create policies which impacts the LGBT community.
Dr. Birkett says conducting research is difficult. Stigma is high and many parents might not want their children to be part of research. When conducting research, it is important to frame the population studied as people first.
Researchers work hard to win the trust of LGBT teens. The wording of surveys is crucial in research. Personally, Birkett dislikes the word homosexual because of its clinical background as a mental disorder.
Adolescence in general is a period of confusion, especially regarding sexual identity. Based on research, Birkett says bullying is at its highest in the seventh and eighth grades. Often times, schools do not have teachers who are trained to deal with LGBT issues. However, the number of Gay-Straight Alliances in schools is growing, which is promising. It is also important for parents to teach their children to value diversity and serve as models to prevent bullying at this age.
IMPACT has ten ongoing research projects. Their research is posted online at impactprogram.org on the program's blog and videos. The videos explain the program's research and the science involved in a way that is interesting for people to learn from. The topics range from coming out to parents, living with HIV to female condom use.
IMPACT's research project, Project Q2 is the longest follow-up study of LGBT teens with 248 participants ages 16 to 20. The team has conducted 9 waves of data in the past six years. Project Q2 examines the "individual and socialcultural predictors of mental health, substance abuse, HIV risk and resilience." Dr. Birkett is the investigator for the current wave.
The Keep It Up! program started as an online intervention and is now part of a city-wide grant. The program focuses on young men who have sex with men and is now a service available at the Center on Halsted.
Dr. Birkett sees firsthand the problems LGBT youth experience, but as people grow older they become more comfortable with their identity, aiding research.
For more information about Dr. Birkett and the IMPACT program visit www.impactprogram.org
By: Anel Herrera
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