Howard Brown Health Announces New Executive Director for The Center for Education, Research, and Advocacy
(July 19, 2021 – Chicago, IL) Howard Brown Health is pleased announce Brandon Hill, PhD (he/him/his) as Howard Brown Health’s new Executive Director for the Center for Education, Research, and Advocacy (ERA). Prior to joining Howard Brown, Hill served as the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and was Executive Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health (Ci3) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago.
“I am thrilled to join such a vibrant and growing organization,” Hill said. “The pandemic has hit the LGBTQ+ community hard. I hope to bring my expertise and experience in community and healthcare research to build on the foundational success of ERA as we continue to conduct cutting-edge research, provide educational programming and training, and enact policy changes that address the most pressing health and well-being needs of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly LGBTQ+ communities of color in Chicago.”
Beyond his sexual and reproductive health and academic-center management experience, Hill is also a Research Fellow of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and was recently named as one of fifty Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Revolutionaries by the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Health.
“ERA has made great strides to establish itself in Chicago and beyond,” said David Ernesto Munar, President and CEO of Howard Brown Health. “ERA has supported community members and other healthcare providers with education on critical LGBTQ issues, contributed to the research and development of vital new therapies for HIV and other infectious diseases, and helped move the needle forward in advocacy issues directly impacting queer people in and around the City. I’m so excited for this next chapter in ERA’s history under Brandon Hill’s leadership as he further cements ERA’s reputation as a center of excellence.”
Hill received his B.A. in Gender Studies and Biology and PhD in Gender Studies from Indiana University.
Current ERA initiatives include several clinical trials related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV, COVID-19, and other sexually transmitted infections; social behavioral research projects supporting Black/Latina transgender and non-binary communities, COVID-19 messaging, and PrEP retention; educational fellowships, internships, and trainings; and local and national advocacy efforts related to HIV decriminalization, LGBTQI policy and racial justice, and mental/behavioral health access. ERA also leads the coordination of Howard Brown’s annual Midwest LGBTQ Health Symposium, taking place September 29 – 30, 2021.
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Howard Brown Health exists to eliminate the disparities in health care experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people through research, education, and the provision of services that promote health and wellness. Howard Brown is the largest LGBTQ organization in the Midwest, providing primary and specialty health care, social services, and infectious disease screenings to more than 40,000 people each year. In response to the pandemic, Howard Brown has limited services to eight of its 11 clinic locations and launched telephone and video options for patients to access care via telehealth. Learn more at howardbrown.org.