Network Core

The Sexual Minority Aging Populations (SMAP) Network Core organizes and supports a national network of scholars who study aging in sexual minority populations. Our overarching goal is to accelerate research on the diverse life course experiences of sexual minority populations, and the pathways by which their experiences culminate in advantage and disadvantage at older ages. We achieve this through talks and conferences, data sharing, and pilot project funding.

Our scholarship centers around 3 research themes:

• Biosocial Processes. We examine the impact of social factors and contexts distinct to sexual minority populations as they intersect with genomic, epigenetic, and biological factors that shape mental, physical, and cognitive health trajectories in sexual minority aging populations.
• Family and Social Engagement. We highlight how family, relationships, social engagement, caregiving, and living arrangements uniquely influence the experience and pace of aging among sexual minority populations.
• Socioeconomic and Institutional Contexts. We explore how socioeconomic and institutional contexts (e.g., schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, geopolitical contexts) throughout life confer unique risks or advantages for the health and well-being of sexual minority aging populations.