Kathryn Macapagal, PhD is associate professor of medical social sciences and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University. She directs the Teen Health Lab and co-directs the THRIVE Center within the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, and is co-director of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research Developmental Core. A licensed clinical psychologist and public health researcher, her work focuses on centering the perspectives of LGBTQ adolescents using community-engaged and user-centered design methods to ensure digital sex education and HIV/STI prevention efforts are guided by their needs and preferences. She is best known for her research on ethical issues in HIV prevention research with LGBTQ adolescents, LGBTQ adolescents’ awareness, knowledge, and perspectives on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and LGBTQ teens’ experiences using and navigating online spaces for adults (sexual networking and dating apps). Her current work, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Chicago Department of Public Health, and Alphawood Foundation, focuses on design and implementation of interventions that leverage the power and versatility of digital media, technology, and the arts to overcome barriers to LGBTQ-inclusive sex education among adolescents. She believes in the importance of public engagement by scientists and academics. To that end, she has published op-eds in outlets like Scientific American, STAT News, and Rewire, and her work and perspective have been covered in outlets like The Atlantic, New York Times, and Chicago Tribune. She co-founded PrEP4Teens (prep4teens.com), a multimedia adolescent centered social marketing campaign aimed at increasing teens’ awareness of their sexual health rights and HIV prevention services. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Indiana University, where she trained extensively at the Kinsey Institute, and completed her clinical psychology residency at the Medical College of Georgia’s HIV/AIDS behavioral health track. In her free time, she spends time with her family, cats, and enjoys weightlifting, gardening, and anything artistic and culinary.
kathryn.macapagal@northwestern.edu
