Dr. Ning Hsieh receives Faculty Research Award

December 19, 2023

Dr. Ning Hsieh has been awarded a Faculty Research Award from the Consortium for Sexual Gender Minority Health.

The $1,500 award was given for Dr. Hsieh's work as published in "Unpacking Intersectional Inequities in Flu Vaccination by Sexuality, Gender, and Race-Ethnicity in the United States."

The research examined influenza vaccination inequities at the intersection of sexuality, gender and race ethnicity using date frm the 2013 to 2018 National Health Interview survey.

"The study shows that sexual, gender, and racial-ethnic identities jointly shaped flu vaccination," Hsieh found. "Specifically, White gay men had the highest vaccination rate (56%), while Black bisexual women had the lowest rate (23%)."

Across Black, Hispanic and White individuals, sexual minority women had lower vaccination rates than heterosexual women but sexual minority men had higher or similar vaccination rates than heterosexual men.

"Findings offer new evidence of hidden health care inequities and inform health policies from an intersectional perspective," Hsieh wrote.

An Associate Professor and lead of the Society, Health and Equity Research (SHER) Group, Dr. Hsieh’s scholarship broadly concerns health equity, stress process, and social connection in relation to sexuality, gender, race/ethnicity, and their intersection. Their current research examines health and healthcare inequities faced by vulnerable populations, including sexual and gender minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, and older adults. It addresses questions in two related themes: (1) How stigma, stress, personal relationships, and community participation influence the health and well-being of vulnerable populations over the life course, and (2) How the intersection of race/ethnicity, sexuality, and gender shapes individuals’ experiences of healthcare and health outcomes.