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About

Dr. Vanessa R. Schick is an accomplished Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. With a robust academic background, she earned her PhD in Applied Social Psychology from The George Washington University and completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Applied Health Science at Indiana University. Her academic journey reflects a dedication to public health, particularly within the realms of sexual health promotion, gender studies, and the health needs of underserved and marginalized populations. Dr. Schick’s research expertise is rooted in addressing complex health disparities experienced by sexual and gender minorities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those involved in sex work. Her work has significantly contributed to public health through a diverse array of projects funded by prestigious institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas. Her role as Principal Investigator in various large-scale projects underscores her leadership and ability to drive impactful research. Throughout her career, Dr. Schick has focused on community-based participatory research and intervention strategies aimed at promoting health equity. She has spearheaded initiatives integrating homelessness diversion services into emergency department discharge systems and expanding liver cancer prevention efforts among populations experiencing homelessness in South Texas. Additionally, her projects addressing health disparities related to COVID-19 testing among vulnerable populations have provided valuable insights into improving health services delivery for marginalized communities. Dr. Schick is also a respected voice in sexual health research. Her affiliation with the Kinsey Institute and the Center for Sexual Health Promotion highlights her contributions to understanding sexual behavior, health risk factors, and the intersection of sexual identity with overall health outcomes. Her numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and invited presentations have established her as a thought leader in her field. Beyond her research, Dr. Schick is a dedicated educator and mentor, consistently engaging with students and fostering their growth through direct mentoring roles. Her teaching excellence has been recognized with various awards, including the Award for Excellence in Community Service from the University of Texas Health Science Center. As an advocate for health equity, Dr. Schick’s work emphasizes the importance of inclusive research practices that consider the unique experiences of sexual and gender minorities, individuals with intersectional identities, and communities facing structural barriers to health access. Her interdisciplinary approach, combining psychology, epidemiology, and public health, has led to innovative strategies that address complex social and health issues. Dr. Schick’s expertise, dedication, and impact are evident through her extensive portfolio of funded research projects, scholarly publications, and collaborative efforts to improve public health outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations. Her ongoing contributions continue to influence public health research, policy, and practice, making her a distinguished leader in her field.

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Skills

Experience

Organization
Associate Professor

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)

Jul-2013 to Present

Publication

  • dott image October, 2019

Condom Use Completeness, Perceptions, and Sexual Quality at Most Recent Sexual Event: Results from a U.S. Nationally Representative Probability Sample

Objectives: To explore perceptions of condoms associated with complete use and evaluate relationships between condom perceptions, condom use, and sexual quality. Methods: Using data from ...

  • dott image June, 2017

Sexual Minority Women's Satisfaction with Health Care Providers and State-level Structural Support: Investigating the Impact of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual...

Purpose Structural discrimination is associated with negative health outcomes among sexual minority populations. Recent changes to state-level and national legislation provide both the oppo...

  • dott image March, 2017

Health and identity-related interactions between lesbian, bisexual, queer and pansexual women and their healthcare providers

Disclosure of sexual identity among sexual minority women is related to better outcomes and improved quality of care. The existing literature on sexual minority women’s experiences of iden...

  • dott image November, 2016

Validation of a scale assessing the quality of physician-patient interactions among a diverse sample of sexual minority women

Journal : APHA 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2016)

background: Disclosure of sexual identity to healthcare providers improves healthcare quality for sexual minority women (SMW). However, not all SMW are equally likely to identify to provider...

  • dott image August, 2016

Variation in Sexual Identification Among Behaviorally Bisexual Women in the Midwestern United States: Challenging the Established Methods for Collecti...

Collecting information on sexual identity is critical to ensuring the visibility of minority populations who face stigmatization and discrimination related to sexual identities. However, it ...

  • dott image June, 2016

Sexual Health and Language Dominance Among Hispanic/Latino Women and Men: Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample

This study assessed the prevalence of sexual behaviors among a nationally representative sample of Latino men and women in the United States (US) (N = 432) including Spanish language data co...

  • dott image June, 2016

A Culturally Informed Educational Program to Promote Sexual Health and Well-being Among Refugee Women

Objectives Previous research suggests that sexual minority women (SMW) are more likely to disclose identity when seeking sexual or reproductive healthcare, and that disclosure of identity t...

  • dott image June, 2016

Sexual Health and Identity-Related Interactions between Sexual Minority Women and their Healthcare Providers

Objectives Previous research suggests that sexual minority women (SMW) are more likely to disclose identity when seeking sexual or reproductive healthcare, and that disclosure of identity t...

  • dott image April, 2016

Sexual Behaviors of U.S. Men by Self-Identified Sexual Orientation: Results From the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior

Introduction Although a large body of previous research has examined sexual behavior and its relation to risk in men of diverse sexual identities, most studies have relied on convenience sa...

  • dott image September, 2015

The Behavioral Definitions of “Having Sex With a Man” and “Having Sex With a Woman” Identified by Women Who Have Engaged in Sexual Activity Wi...

A sizable minority of women report lifetime sexual behavior with both men and women. In the present study, a multinational sample of women who reported genital contact with at least one man ...