Biography
Lauren B. Beach, JD/PhD (they/them and she/her) is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences and Department of Preventive Medicine and the Interim Director of the Evaluation, Data Integration, and Technical Assistance (EDIT) program within the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Research and Wellbeing (ISGMH). They also direct the Research on Aging, Chronic Conditions, and Health Equity (ReACH) SGM health lab. Scientifically, Dr. Beach investigates the epidemiology of chronic physical health conditions over the life course among diverse sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and people living with HIV (PLWH). She also studies how multilevel health and identity related stigmas affect healthcare quality, chronic condition management, and health outcomes of marginalized populations. Dr. Beach holds NIH funded R01 grants focused on the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and on improving measurement of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity within research, epidemiologic surveillance, and healthcare.
Dr. Beach's education and training have followed an interdisciplinary path. As an alumna of the Joint Degree Program in Law, Science & Technology, she received her JD specialized in Health Law & Bioethics from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2012 and her PhD in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2014. For her PhD dissertation research, she studied the molecular mechanism of action of how ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors inhibit HIV-1 and HIV-2 replication. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Lauren spent a year in Lusaka, Zambia, where she served as co-investigator of ACADEMIC, a large child mortality survey, run by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ). To continue to advance her public health and clinical research skill sets, Dr. Beach next completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in behavioral diabetes and chronic kidney disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Notably, while at Vanderbilt, Dr. Beach also served as the Director of LGBTI Research. To obtain advanced expertise in epidemiology and SGM health, Dr. Beach completed a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship within the EDIT program of ISGMH prior to joining Northwestern's faculty in July 2019.
Dr. Beach is also active in community engaged, evidence informed advocacy efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of bisexual populations. Her time as a LGBTQIA advocate and leader began as an undergraduate at Michigan State University, where she held multiple student leadership roles dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion on campus. As a graduate and law student at the University of Minnesota, Lauren not only continued her work with LGBTQIA groups within the campus setting, but also expanded into serving the community at large. From 2010-2013, Lauren led the 501(c)(3) organization Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) as Chairperson, transforming it from a largely Twin Cities focused organization into a nationally recognized non-profit. From 2009-2014, Lauren also served as a core organizer of BOP's annual BECAUSE Conference on bisexuality. Additionally, Lauren has served on the boards of the 501(c)(3) organizations the Queer Student Cultural Center, the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance, the China AIDS Orphan Fund, and Healthy Kids: Brighter Future. In 2015, she helped co-found Tennessee's first non-profit organization dedicated to serving bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, QTPOC, and unlabeled communities, Bi Tennessee. She is also a founding member of the Bisexual Research Collective on Health (BiRCH), a founding Steering Committee Co-Chair of the Chicago Bisexual Health Task Force (CBHTF), and a founding leadership council member o the Visibility Impact Fund.
In recognition of their academic excellence and community-minded leadership, Lauren has received many scholarships, fellowships and leadership awards. Among other honors, Lauren has received a Health Disparities Loan Repayment Award from the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, is a former National Institutes of Health Ruth L Kirchenstein National Research Service Award F31 fellow, a two-time Point Foundation alumna, a Mary A. McEvoy Award for Public Engagement and Leadership honoree, one of Advocate Magazine's 2013 40 Under 40 LGBT activists in the United States, a 2013 winner of the Minnesota Jaycee's Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans award and one of the United States Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Americans. On several occasions, they have attended White House events and celebrations recognizing the LGBTQIA and bisexual communities, including co-leading the discussions on HIV/AIDS and the bisexual community on Celebrate Bisexuality Day.
In total, Lauren has given over 100 invited or peer-reviewed expert presentations about SGM health disparities, health research, and communities at national research and community forums. Taken together, her track record demonstrates her lifelong commitment to work toward a larger objective of promoting health equity and improving healthcare quality for sexual and gender minority people through research, education, policy advocacy, and community engagement. You can follow them on Twitter @laurenbbeach.
Dr. Beach's education and training have followed an interdisciplinary path. As an alumna of the Joint Degree Program in Law, Science & Technology, she received her JD specialized in Health Law & Bioethics from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2012 and her PhD in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2014. For her PhD dissertation research, she studied the molecular mechanism of action of how ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors inhibit HIV-1 and HIV-2 replication. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Lauren spent a year in Lusaka, Zambia, where she served as co-investigator of ACADEMIC, a large child mortality survey, run by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ). To continue to advance her public health and clinical research skill sets, Dr. Beach next completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in behavioral diabetes and chronic kidney disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Notably, while at Vanderbilt, Dr. Beach also served as the Director of LGBTI Research. To obtain advanced expertise in epidemiology and SGM health, Dr. Beach completed a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship within the EDIT program of ISGMH prior to joining Northwestern's faculty in July 2019.
Dr. Beach is also active in community engaged, evidence informed advocacy efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of bisexual populations. Her time as a LGBTQIA advocate and leader began as an undergraduate at Michigan State University, where she held multiple student leadership roles dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion on campus. As a graduate and law student at the University of Minnesota, Lauren not only continued her work with LGBTQIA groups within the campus setting, but also expanded into serving the community at large. From 2010-2013, Lauren led the 501(c)(3) organization Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) as Chairperson, transforming it from a largely Twin Cities focused organization into a nationally recognized non-profit. From 2009-2014, Lauren also served as a core organizer of BOP's annual BECAUSE Conference on bisexuality. Additionally, Lauren has served on the boards of the 501(c)(3) organizations the Queer Student Cultural Center, the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance, the China AIDS Orphan Fund, and Healthy Kids: Brighter Future. In 2015, she helped co-found Tennessee's first non-profit organization dedicated to serving bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, QTPOC, and unlabeled communities, Bi Tennessee. She is also a founding member of the Bisexual Research Collective on Health (BiRCH), a founding Steering Committee Co-Chair of the Chicago Bisexual Health Task Force (CBHTF), and a founding leadership council member o the Visibility Impact Fund.
In recognition of their academic excellence and community-minded leadership, Lauren has received many scholarships, fellowships and leadership awards. Among other honors, Lauren has received a Health Disparities Loan Repayment Award from the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, is a former National Institutes of Health Ruth L Kirchenstein National Research Service Award F31 fellow, a two-time Point Foundation alumna, a Mary A. McEvoy Award for Public Engagement and Leadership honoree, one of Advocate Magazine's 2013 40 Under 40 LGBT activists in the United States, a 2013 winner of the Minnesota Jaycee's Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans award and one of the United States Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Americans. On several occasions, they have attended White House events and celebrations recognizing the LGBTQIA and bisexual communities, including co-leading the discussions on HIV/AIDS and the bisexual community on Celebrate Bisexuality Day.
In total, Lauren has given over 100 invited or peer-reviewed expert presentations about SGM health disparities, health research, and communities at national research and community forums. Taken together, her track record demonstrates her lifelong commitment to work toward a larger objective of promoting health equity and improving healthcare quality for sexual and gender minority people through research, education, policy advocacy, and community engagement. You can follow them on Twitter @laurenbbeach.
Curriculum Vitae
Click here for a copy of Lauren's CV (last updated September 2022).
Click here for a copy of Lauren's CV (last updated September 2022).
Press
Articles and blog posts featuring Lauren:
Biden Administration Hosts First Bisexual Health Equity Roundtable; Bi+ Community Leaders Share Stories, Stats
From false stereotypes to 'the stares,' bisexual people face a unique bias – even in the LGBTQ community
Dr. Lauren Beach Delivers Lecture on LGBTQ Culturally Responsive Health Care
Ten Women Leaders Breaking Barriers for Bisexual Representation
Listen to Lauren's interview of David Jay, founder of the Asexual Visibility Education Network
Listen to Lauren's interview on Illinois Public Media about her paper showing LGBQ teens may be at higher risk for diabetes (story starts ~43 minutes into recording)
Diabetes Risk Higher among LGBQ Teens Than Heterosexual Teens, Study Finds
Dr. Lauren Beach Featured in ThinkProgress Article on Bisexual Health
Dr. Lauren Beach Speaking at "We See You: Countering the Invisibility of Bisexual Health"
Three Bisexual Point Leaders Attend First Ever White House Roundtable Discussion on Bisexuality
Biden Administration Hosts First Bisexual Health Equity Roundtable; Bi+ Community Leaders Share Stories, Stats
From false stereotypes to 'the stares,' bisexual people face a unique bias – even in the LGBTQ community
Dr. Lauren Beach Delivers Lecture on LGBTQ Culturally Responsive Health Care
Ten Women Leaders Breaking Barriers for Bisexual Representation
Listen to Lauren's interview of David Jay, founder of the Asexual Visibility Education Network
Listen to Lauren's interview on Illinois Public Media about her paper showing LGBQ teens may be at higher risk for diabetes (story starts ~43 minutes into recording)
Diabetes Risk Higher among LGBQ Teens Than Heterosexual Teens, Study Finds
Dr. Lauren Beach Featured in ThinkProgress Article on Bisexual Health
Dr. Lauren Beach Speaking at "We See You: Countering the Invisibility of Bisexual Health"
Three Bisexual Point Leaders Attend First Ever White House Roundtable Discussion on Bisexuality