The RISE Lab

Mannat is a doctoral student at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in the Department of Health Behavior. Her research focuses on the health needs of sexual and gender minority communities and the myriad ways these communities resist, are resilient and find joy in their lives. She currently works on the LITE Plus study, exploring the mental health impacts of chronic stress and intersectional stigma in Black and Latina transgender women. Specifically, she leads longitudinal in-depth interviews about stress and traumas over the life course, experiences with gender affirming hormone therapy and how TW resist and respond to challenges. Prior to joining her PhD program, Mannat worked at the Center for Public Health and Human Rights (Johns Hopkins School of Public Health) as a research coordinator, leading implementation for several community-engaged observational and evaluation studies related to HIV-related health and social disparities in LGBTQ communities. Other areas of interest include: health impacts of multi-level violence, community-led health interventions and community-engaged research approaches.