USF College of Public Health (COPH) doctoral student Rolando Trejos has recently been appointed to the editorial advisory board of the Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health journal, published by Springer Publishing.

The Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health is a peer-reviewed online journal covering populational research on the intersectional health and well-being of sexual- and gender- minority (SGM) individuals.

During his three-year tenure as an advisory board member, Trejos will provide peer reviews of submissions and engage in journal outreach activities.

“As a gay Latinx public health professional, I am closely aware of how inaccurate or misleading published literature focused on SGM individuals and the LGBTAIQ+ community at large could result in further harm and discrimination,” Trejos said. “Therefore, it is an honor to support the journal’s aims and help promote evidence-based research and practice in SGM populational health research.”

Trejos is hoping that this role will help him further understand the academic editorial publishing infrastructure, improve his peer-review scientific manuscripts and act as a pathway for networking and professional development.

“I feel honored and excited to start,” Trejos said. “I recognize my privileged position and feel encouraged that this role could be used to empower other colleagues and students to believe in their capacity to promote social change.”

In the future, Trejos hopes to become a faculty member and continue to be involved in editorial positions.

“I would love to become a full-time faculty in the future and to continue to be involved in editorial positions and conducting research that applies social epidemiology methodologies to identify root causes of disease, especially factors impacting the health and well-being of Latinos and other populations underserved and/or under-represented in research,” he said. “I firmly believe that public health is an art and a science that can help advance populational health for everyone; however, toward attaining just and fair access to opportunities to be healthy, we must recognize the current and past barriers impeding our progress while envisioning social change.”

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health