Dodge to Join Zuckerman College of Public Health Faculty, Lead UArizona Institute for LGBT Studies

Brian Dodge, PhD, an expert on sexual health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) populations, joins the University of Arizona Aug. 1 as director of the UArizona Institute for LGBT Studies in the Office for Research, Innovation and Impact and a professor of public health in the UArizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

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In his dual role, Dr. Dodge will oversee the Institute for LGBT Studies, expanding its research mission, developing new and innovative programming, and building partnerships with local communities and beyond. He will develop a strategic vision for the future of the institute through an engaged and inclusive process. Through the Zuckerman College of Public Health, he will teach public health courses and mentor students who wish to focus on LGBTQ+ health and human sexuality.

“After having had opportunities to work at a variety of institutions and in diverse communities throughout my career, I am thrilled to join the faculty of the top-notch Zuckerman College of Public Health and to be able to collaborate with individuals across campus at the Institute for LGBT Studies,” Dr. Dodge said. “I am most excited to work across a broad range of disciplines, promoting research, education and advocacy on holistic issues related to LGBTQ+ life beyond simply health risk behavior.”

Dr. Dodge joins the Zuckerman College of Public Health from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, where he was a professor in the Department of Applied Health Science. He also serves as adjunct faculty at The Fenway Institute, one of the oldest and largest centers for research, education, training and policy development on health among LGBTQ+ populations.

Dr. Dodge was principal investigator on some of the first National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects to focus on bisexual health. In 2019, he served as co-chair of the NIH Workshop on Bisexual Health Research, sponsored by the NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office. In 2015 and 2016, he spoke at two groundbreaking White House Bisexual Community Policy Briefings in Washington.

“We are pleased to have Dr. Dodge joining us. His unique knowledge and perspective will be valuable for our students and other faculty members, and he will bring so much to the whole university with his leadership of the Institute for LGBT Studies,” said Zuckerman College of Public Health Dean Iman Hakim, MBBCh, PhD, MPH. “His appointment reaffirms the importance of diversity and inclusion in our public health research and education, particularly for underserved LGBTQ communities.”

Dr. Dodge's research focuses on health and well-being among a variety of understudied and underserved LGBTQ+ populations, particularly diverse bisexual individuals relative to their exclusively heterosexual and exclusively homosexual counterparts.

“Given the clear and abundant evidence that sexuality and gender identity are social determinants of health, LGBTQ+ research, education and advocacy are all critical to our success in promoting health equity and a brighter future for all,” said Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, PhD, senior vice president for research and innovation. “I can think of no better scholar than Dr. Dodge to lead that charge at the University of Arizona.”

Dr. Dodge earned a doctorate in health behavior and a master’s in international and comparative education from Indiana University – Bloomington. He completed his postdoctoral training at Columbia University through the National Institute of Mental Health-funded Behavioral Sciences Research in HIV Infection Fellowship in the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies in the Department of Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute.