Our Team

Pronouns: he/him

blosnich@usc.edu

John R. Blosnich is the director of the Center for LGBTQ+ Health Equity at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. His primary area of expertise is disparities in suicide risk and prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, with a specific emphasis on social determinants of health. Prior to joining the faculty at USC, Dr. Blosnich spent nine years working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At the VA, he led foundational research about transgender veterans’ health and health care utilization, with a specific focus in suicide risk, mortality, and social determinants of health. In addition to VA-supported research, he has conducted LGBT-focused research supported by competitive awards from foundations and the National Institutes of Health. Over the last five years, he has worked on efforts to improve LGBT health equity research in the US by addressing the lack of sexual orientation and gender identity data in mortality surveillance.

Pronouns: she/her

Melissa is a project specialist with the Center for LGBTQ+ Health Equity at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her academic background includes bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley. She is currently pursuing a Master in Applied Data Science through the University of Southern California. During her undergraduate years, Melissa contributed to a study focused on improving treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. She also has a background in clinical research trials and worked with the Keck School of Medicine for five years. Melissa’s research interests include suicide prevention and addressing disparities in mental health care.

Pronouns: they/them

mhotchki@usc.edu

Maiya's research focuses on LGBTQ+ health and safety, particularly among trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) folks. Maiya has a particular focus on the prevention of and response to interpersonal and structural violence, and hopes to contribute to the accessibility and efficacy of community-facilitated care. Prior to their doctoral studies, Maiya managed two clinical and health psychology research laboratories at Hunter College (CUNY) which focused on mental and physical health disparities, gender-based violence prevention, trauma recovery, and community-engagement. Maiya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Hunter College (CUNY).

pnash@usc.edu

Paul is an Associate Professor in the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC). His primary research focus is on stigma and intersectional disadvantages and health inequalities within marginalised communities. Older adults form the base of his research though Nash takes a lifecourse approach, assessing trajectories into later life. Additionally, Dr. Nash is a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV and as part of the Aging Caucus, provides research evidence to form the basis of policy and practice within the region. He joined USC after 10 years at Swansea University in the UK where ageism was his primary area of research, and he led on curriculum development and delivery within the Centre for Innovating Aging. Nash is committed to research and teaching excellence, harnessing participatory inclusion in both fields and fostering both inter and multi-disciplinary approaches.

Pronouns: she/her

czachry@usc.edu

Corinne’s research explores LGBTQ+ mental health, with an emphasis on understanding the role of social policies, structures and stigma in exacerbating mental health disparities and creating barriers to access to mental healthcare services for LGBTQ+ people. She hopes to promote mental health equity for LGBTQ+ people at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Corinne managed a clinical psychology research lab at Hunter College focused on the prevention of gender-based violence and promotion of trauma recovery for LGBTQ+ people. Corinne also holds a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University.

Pronouns: she/hers

sdeluca2@metrohealth.org

Susan De Luca is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at The MetroHealth System’s Population Health and Equity Research Institute and also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine. Her research experience on adolescent and young adult suicide prevention centers on peer norms surrounding suicidal thoughts and behaviors, rejecting codes of silence, disclosure patterns preceding and following suicidal ideation and attempts, the availability of social coping resources, and help-seeking attitudes of adolescents in distress, specifically focusing on racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, and underserved populations. De Luca is a partner with the Center for LGBTQ+ Heath Equity and co-investigator on the center’s five-year study involving family lawyers, mortgage lenders and unemployment officers in suicide prevention efforts. 

Jeanne Ward is a postdoctoral research associate at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She focuses on suicide prevention research and social determinants of health. Jeanne received her PhD in Nursing and Master of Public Administration from the University of Louisville. Her dissertation focused on rural health disparities and disease prevention using quantitative and qualitative methods. She has a background in healthcare and consulting and currently works on a grant to improve rural Kentuckians' mental health. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis.

Pronouns: he/him

gratwick@usc.edu

Steve Gratwick is a policy and clinical professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. He has over two decades of experience working with the LGBTQ+ community in program management, community advocacy and clinical practice. At the LA LGBT Center, he was Senior Services program manager for five years, and has participated in five California AIDS Lifecycles. He is an active member of the USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association, serving as past president. Steve is also a co-founder of Gay For Good, a volunteer service organization based in Los Angeles.

Pronouns: he/him

ericr@usc.edu

Eric Rice is a Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and co-director of the USC Center for AI in Society, a joint venture between the schools of social work and engineering at USC. Rice received a BA from the University of Chicago, and an MA and PhD in Sociology from Stanford University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles. He joined the USC faculty in 2009. He specializes in social network science and theory, as well as community-based research. His primary focus is on youth experiencing homelessness and how issues of social network influence may affect risk-taking behaviors and resilience. He has done extensive work with LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness for nearly 20 years.

hansoh@usc.edu

Hans Oh is a social worker and psychiatric epidemiologist who studies the social determinants and health correlates of psychotic experiences. He earned his PhD from Columbia University School of Social Work, and has received fellowships to enhance his training in adult mental health services. These fellowships include a behavioral health fellowship at Yale School of Medicine, where he worked in an acute crisis unit and supervised a peer support program. He also undertook a psychosocial rehabilitation fellowship at the Veteran Affairs in San Diego, where he provided recovery-oriented services to veterans with psychotic disorders. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in prevention science at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation/UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

Pronouns: he/él

gabriel.robles@usc.edu

Gabriel is an assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, with a research focus on substance use prevention and sexual health among sexual and gender minorities (SGM). He has a strong interest in addressing health inequities among Latine/x SGM populations. Gabriel examines the influence of cultural values, institutional and interpersonal support, and multiple identities on protective factors that mitigate negative health outcomes. In addition to his primary research interests, he explores the roles that family and romantic/sexual partners play in the health and well-being of sexual and gender minorities.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

saraschw@usc.edu

Sara L. Schwartz is an associate teaching professor in the MSW and DSW programs. She approaches teaching and scholarship from a cross-disciplinary lens bridging social work, anthropology and visual arts. Professor Schwartz instructs students on social science methods for understanding complex social justice issues, community-based participatory research, program evaluation, policy, qualitative methods and visual social work. She is the faculty lead for the Visual Social Work Graduate Certificate which she launched in 2022. Her scholarship focuses on aging with bleeding disorders, HIV/AIDS, historical trauma in diverse communities and visual social work. Professor Schwartz serves on the board of the directors of the National AIDS Memorial and is a co-producer of the annual Surviving Voices documentary films.