Rutgers School of Public Health Names Inaugural Perry N. Halkitis Endowed Chair for Advancing LGBTQ+ Public Health
Tamara Taggart will also be an associate professor with tenure in the Department of Urban-Global Public Health
Tamara Taggart is joining the Rutgers School of Public Health as the inaugural Perry N. Halkitis Endowed Chair for Advancing LGBTQ+ Public Health. She will also be an associate professor with tenure in the Department of Urban-Global Public Health.
Taggart conducts community-engaged socioepidemiologic studies to examine the social-structural – such as structural racism, intersectional stigma and neighborhoods – and cultural identity factors that influence health behaviors. She then develops and implements interventions to improve HIV-related outcomes and reduce substance use and abuse among individuals from minoritized communities. Integrating techniques, theories, and concepts from epidemiology, psychology, and sociology, the goal of Taggart's research program is to reduce health disparities and improve the health of historically excluded communities.
“I look forward to joining the Rutgers School of Public Health at this critical moment when rigorous, evidence-based research on sexual and gender minority health is more essential than ever to counter misinformation and protect historically excluded communities,” Taggart said. “As a social and behavioral health scientist, I am committed to advancing equity-centered scholarship that both improves health outcomes and reinforces the academic freedom necessary to pursue scientific inquiry that serves all populations. In my new role as director of the Rutgers Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health, I am eager to collaborate with the diverse and exceptional faculty, staff, students and community partners at Rutgers to build resilient research networks dedicated to our mission of promoting health equity and social justice for communities across New Jersey and beyond.”
Taggart's current National Institutes of Health-funded projects investigate the ways in which social-structural and cultural identity factors influence HIV-related health behaviors among racial/ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, with a particular emphasis on sexual and gender minorities in the United States.
The Perry N. Halkitis Endowed Chair for Advancing LGBTQ+ Public Health was established with a $3 million gift from James F. Dougherty, a Rutgers alumnus and longtime supporter of the university. Dougherty said his motivation for making the gift is to support an emphasis on LGBTQ+ health at Rutgers long into the future.
Dr. Taggart brings stellar research experience to Rutgers, which is coupled with highly successful extramural funding and a sincere, meaningful commitment to the people and populations she serves through her scholarship.
Perry N. Halkitis
Dean, Rutgers School of Public Health
“I am confident that Dr. Tamara Taggart will be a champion for LGBTQ+ rights and public health,” Dougherty said. “Her addition solidifies the Rutgers School of Public Health as the preeminent leader in the field of LGBTQ+ health in the United States.”
“At a time when LGBTQ health is under attack, the appointment of Dr. Taggart couldn't be more important,” said Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health. “Dr. Taggart brings stellar research experience to Rutgers, which is coupled with highly successful extramural funding and a sincere, meaningful commitment to the people and populations she serves through her scholarship. This work is conducted on the hyphen of theory and practice and embodies the best scholarship that should exist throughout Rutgers Health.”
In addition to Dougherty’s gift of $3 million, Rutgers Health Chancellor Brian L. Strom is devoting an additional $2 million to support the development of the Rutgers Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health (R-LGBTQ+), which Taggart will direct.
The proposed center, which has been envisioned by Halkitis and his collaborator Gloria Bachmann of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will serve as a comprehensive, state-of-the-art academic, research and clinical coordination center for LGBTQ+ populations and as a hub for facilitating the development of public policy for the health of LGBTQ+ people and populations.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Taggart to Rutgers Health,” said Chancellor Strom. “Her groundbreaking research and commitment to addressing health disparities will play a transformative role in advancing our efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive future. With the establishment of the Rutgers Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health under Dr. Taggart’s leadership, Rutgers is poised to become a national leader in LGBTQ+ health research, education and policy development. We are appreciative of our donors for making this possible.”
Taggart will join Rutgers in August of 2025.
