Heather L. Corliss

Heather L. Corliss is a Professor at the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University (SDSU), where she holds roles as Co-Director of the Health Behavior Track and the SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program. She is affiliated with the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health and the Center for Research on Sexuality and Sexual Health. Her academic journey includes postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and UCLA, with a focus on epidemiology and adolescent health.

Dr. Corliss' research centers on LGBTQ+ health disparities, particularly in substance use, mental health, and chronic diseases such as diabetes. She has led NIH-funded studies examining sexual orientation disparities in youth substance use and diabetes risk. Her work integrates epidemiological methods with mixed-methods approaches to understand the social and structural determinants of health.

Her teaching spans advanced research methods, grant writing, and LGBTQ+ public health. She has mentored numerous doctoral and master’s students, emphasizing health disparities and methodology. Awards include the Excellence in Teaching Award (2009) and the Lambda Alumni Scholarship (2002).

Key grants include the NIH-funded study on substance use disparities in youth (R01DA033974) and the SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research (U54MD012397). She collaborates internationally, such as in Canada and British Columbia, on LGBTQ youth health interventions.

Dr. Corliss' labs focus on community-engaged research, linking epidemiology with policy. Her future work includes expanding studies on LGBTQ+ cardiovascular health and substance use prevention strategies.