Michelle Birkett

Michelle Birkett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health disparities among marginalized populations, particularly sexual and gender minorities, using systems science and network analysis. She leads NIH-funded studies and directs the CONNECT Research Program within the Northwestern Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Birkett also holds affiliations with the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO) and the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010)
• APA-Accredited Psychology Internship, University of Rochester Medical Center (2009-2010)
• B.S. in Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2004)

Research Interests: Birkett’s work bridges health disparities, social networks, and HIV/AIDS research. She develops tools like Network Canvas to capture complex data, studies racial disparities in HIV transmission among young men who have sex with men, and examines the role of social contexts in LGBTQ+ health outcomes. Her systems perspective integrates network science with public health interventions.

Awards:

• Elected Inaugural Member, National Academies’ New Voices Program (2018)
• Member, International Academy of Sex Researchers (2015)
• Excellence in Medical Student Teaching Award (2018)

Grants & Leadership: Birkett has secured over $30 million in NIH grants, including major awards for Network Canvas development and HIV modeling. She serves on editorial boards, grant review panels, and institutional committees focusing on racial equity and data science. Her work emphasizes community engagement, equity, and open-source tools for public health.

Labs/Teams: CONNECT Research Program, Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO), and collaborations with the Chicago Data Science Corps to address urban challenges through data-driven approaches.