Ilan H. Meyer (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: אילן מאיר; born January 26, 1956) is an American psychiatric epidemiologist, author, professor, and a senior scholar for public policy and sexual orientation law at the Williams Institute of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. He has conducted extensive research on minority identities related to

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

, race and

ethnicity An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they Collective consciousness, collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, ...

, drawing conclusions on the impact of social stresses on their

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

. Meyer was an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

for the plaintiffs in '' Perry v. Schwarzenegger'' (2010), the federal case that overturned California Proposition 8.

Career

Meyer holds a Ph.D. in Sociomedical Sciences/Social Psychology from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He received his

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

and his B.A. from

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in Health Psychology at the Graduate Center at CUNY and as a NIMH Research Fellow in

Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...

( HIV/

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

) at the

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...

. Meyer's academic background is in

social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

, psychiatric epidemiology, and sociomedical sciences. For over a decade, he has focused specifically on the study of public health issues related to minority health. His areas of research include stress and illness in minority populations, in particular, the relationship of minority status, minority identity,

prejudice Prejudice can be an affect (psychology), affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived In-group and out-group, social group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classifi ...

and

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

and mental health outcomes in sexual minorities and the intersection of minority stressors related to sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and gender. Meyer developed a model of that describes the relationship of social stressors and

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

s and helps to explain LGBT health disparities. The model has guided his and other investigators’ population research on LGBT health disparities by identifying the mechanisms by which social

stressor A stressor is a chemical or biological agent, environmental condition, external stimulus or an event seen as causing stress to an organism. Psychologically speaking, a stressor can be events or environments that individuals might consider dema ...

s impact health and describing the harm to LGBT people from prejudice and stigma. The

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

(IOM) cited the model as one of four cross-cutting perspectives (the only one stemming from LGBT scholarship) recommended for the study of LGBT health. For this work, Meyer received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...

(APA) and Distinguished Scientific Contribution award from the APA's Division 44. Based on his body of work, Meyer provided expert testimony related to

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

in ''Perry v. Schwarzenegger'', and to peer-to-peer violence and

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...

before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Publications

Meyer has authored or co-authored over 50

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

articles and numerous other publications and

conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

abstracts, co-edited one book, and is in the process of writing another book. In 2001, he edited the first special issue on LGBT health in '' The American Journal of Public Health''. Meyer is co-editor with Mary E. Northridge of ''The Health of Sexual Minorities: Public health perspectives on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations'' (Springer, 2007). The text offers a multidimensional picture of LGBT health, incorporating contributions from across clinical and

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

disciplines. Some of his notable publications include: * Meyer, I.H., Schwartz, S., & Frost, D. M. (2008). ''"Social patterning of stress and coping: Does disadvantaged social status confer more stress and fewer coping resources?"'' Social Science & Medicine * Meyer, I.H., Dietrich, J.D., & Schwartz, S. (2008). ''"Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders and suicide attempts in diverse lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations."'' American Journal of Public Health * Meyer, I.H. & Northridge, M.E. (2007). ''"The Health of Sexual Minorities: Public Health Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations"'' Springer, NY. * Meyer, I.H. (2003). ''"Prejudice as stress: Conceptual Problems for Measurement."'' American Journal of Public Health 93; 262–265. * Meyer, I.H. (2003). ''"Prejudice, social stress and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence."'' Psychological Bulletin 129; 674–697. * Meyer I.H. ''"Prejudice as stress: conceptual problems for measurement"'' (2003). American Journal of Public Health 93; 262–265. * Meyer I.H., Whyatt RM, Perera FP, Ford JG (2003). ''"Risk for asthma in 1-year old infants residing in New York City high-risk neighborhoods"'' Journal of Asthma 40; 545–550. * Meyer I.H., Rossano L, Ellis J, Bradford J (2002). ''"A brief telephone interview to identify lesbian and bisexual women in random digit dialing sampling"'' Journal of Sex Research 39; 139–144. * Meyer I.H. (2001). ''"Why lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender public health?"'' American Journal of Public Health 91; 856–859. * Lewin S, Meyer I.H. (2001). ''"Torture, ill-treatment and sexual identity"'' The Lancet 358 Dec 1 1899–1900. * Meyer I.H., Schwartz S (2000). ''"Social issues as public health: promise and peril"'' American Journal of Public Health 90; 1189–1191. * Meyer I.H., Dean L (1998) ''"Internalized homophobia, intimacy, and sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men" Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals'' Ed. Herek GM Sage, CA. 160–186. * Meyer I.H. (1995) ''"Minority stress and mental health in gay men"'' Journal of Health and Social Behavior 36; 38–56.

Awards

* Distinguished Dissertation - Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences * Barbara Snell Dohrenwend Award for published/publishable paper * Marisa De Castro Benton Dissertation Award for outstanding contribution to the sociomedical sciences - Columbia University * Mark Freedman Award for outstanding research on lesbian/gay issues - Association of Lesbian & Gay Psychologists * Distinguished Scientific Contribution, American Psychological Association Division 44 - Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues * Outstanding Achievement Award Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns of the American Psychological Association

''Perry'' trial testimony

In 2010, Meyer was an expert witness in the ''Perry v. Schwarzenegger'' trial, testifying on the mental health impact on gay couples denied the right to marry. His testimony relied on empirical studies showing that gays and

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

s encounter a disproportionate level of stress and mental health difficulties because of discrimination, and that these stresses amplify the

social stigma Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...

that makes them more susceptible to depression,

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

and

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

. When asked if mental health outcomes for gays and lesbians in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

would improve if Proposition 8 were not law, Meyer said, in the affirmative, that "when people are exposed to more stress...they are more likely to get sick, consistent with a law that says to gay people you are not welcome here, your relationships are not valued"; laws such as Proposition 8, he said, "

ave is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...

significant power."

References

External links