Nathan Smith MS, PhD

Dr. Nathan Grant Smith (he/him/his) is currently Chair of the Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences and a Professor in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program. Dr. Smith's main area of research focuses on stress and coping, with emphases on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer persons and persons living with or affected by HIV. Specific areas of interest include discrimination and resilience, lesbian/gay/bisexual identity, and primary and secondary prevention of HIV. Currently, his research focuses on the intersection of minority stress and health behaviors among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer persons. He is currently conducting studies to examine and intervene on HIV risk behaviors among gay and bisexual men, using a syndemic lens to understand the continued high incidence of HIV among this population, as well as studies on substance use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer individuals. Dr. Smith's secondary lines of research focus on bereavement, gender issues, and professional and training issues in counseling psychology.

Dr. Smith's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). He was PI on the NIH-funded project "Project PRIDE: Intervention to Reduce HIV risk in Young Sexual Minority Men" (R21DA041250) and the CIHR funded projects "Bisexual Identity: Implications for Mental, Behavioural, and Physical Health" (CIHR 2011-03-MOP-115157) and "Project PRIDE (Promoting Resilience In Discriminatory Environments): A Primary HIV Prevention Intervention for Gay/Bisexual Men" (CIHR 2010-03-HHP-107543). In addition, he is the recipient of NIH Loan Repayment Program awards from NIDA and NIAAA.

Dr. Smith is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and of APA's Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) and Division 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity). He is a recipient of the APA Division 17 Section for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues (SLGBTI; now called Section on Advocacy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity) Award for Significant Contribution to Social Justice and Advocacy and the University of Houston College of Education Faculty Research Excellence Award. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology and previously chaired the APA Fellows Committee, the APA Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, and the APA Division 17 SLGBTI. He is a licensed psychologist in Texas.