HIV/AIDS History
I am interested in identity-affirming, sex-positive HIV prevention materials created by AIDS service organizations in the 1980s and 1990s. Unapologetically queer and often erotic, I argue that these campaigns helped lay a foundation for prevention and harm-reduction in the 21st century.
In collaboration with the Binghamton Human Sexualities Research Lab, I study the history of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s first HIV/AIDS service organization and a leader in these identity-affirming prevention campaigns. This project has involved (a) the collection of 100+ oral history interviews with former GMHC volunteers and staff people and (b) curation of additional GMHC archival materials, particularly from the organization’s rank and file workforce. These interviews and records have been donated to the New York Public Library’s Division of Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books (“Sean Massey Gay Men’s Health Crisis Collection” & “GMHC Stories: An Oral History Project,” each available in August 2025).
I am authoring “Sexy Innovations,” a book chapter on GMHC’s critical model of HIV prevention. I have presented findings and detailed the team’s methods at a number of panels, exhibits, and national conferences.
Adolescent Sexual Health and
Positive Youth Development
Born from my study of historic HIV prevention materials, I am interested in how similar tactics (collective sexual identity, pleasure and eroticism, social norm interventions, critical consciousness and activism) can aid in promoting healthier behaviors among contemporary young men who have sex with men. Relatedly, this includes inquiry into how adolescents navigate complicated policies and cultural messages to access important forms of sexual and reproductive healthcare (see my editorial in the American Journal of Public Health).
Through the Program for Youth Development and Engagement, I collaborate with organizations across the U.S. to develop and evaluate evidence-based positive youth development programs. I also coordinate and co-lead trainings in youth participatory action research (YPAR) for adolescents — encouraging these young people to ask critical questions about their communities, social environments, and health.
I am responsible for mentoring and supervising a cohort of 20 undergraduate PRYDE Scholars — highly motivated Cornell Human Ecology students, each participating in various community-engaged research projects.