John R. Blosnich

John R. Blosnich is an associate professor and director of the Center for LGBTQ+ Health Equity at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. His primary area of expertise is disparities in suicide risk and prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) individuals, with a specific emphasis on social determinants of health. He has conducted numerous studies to capitalize on secondary analyses of existing survey data, helping to fill gaps in knowledge about LGBTQ+ health.

Prior to joining the faculty at USC, Blosnich spent nine years working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); first with the VISN2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention in Canandaigua, NY and more recently with the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion in Pittsburgh, PA. At the VA, he led foundational research about transgender veterans’ health and health care utilization, with a specific focus in suicide risk, mortality, and social determinants of health. He garnered the VA’s first research award focused on transgender veterans, and served on several national VA committees charged with developing guidance and clinical education and training about LGBTQ+ veterans receiving health care through the VA.

In addition to VA-supported research, he has conducted LGBTQ+-focused research supported by competitive awards from foundations and the National Institutes of Health. Over the last five years, he has worked on efforts to improve LGBTQ+ health equity research in the US by addressing the lack of sexual orientation and gender identity data in mortality surveillance.