VUSNAPS

WELCOME TO VUSNAPS

Information for New Participants

Your opinions and experiences matter.

VUSNAPS is recruiting older LGBT adults across the South to participate in a study on relationships, health, and aging.

To qualify you must be:

be 50 to 76 years old today (born between 1944 and 1970)
identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming
live in an active recruiting area in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, or Tennessee.
Identify as African American/Black, Latino/Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American or American Indian, or two or more races/ethnicities. We have completed enrollment for White/Caucasian adults at this time.

Participants will:

complete three 60-minute online surveys over the next four years
be paid $40 for the first survey, $50 for the second, and $60 for the third
be paid $5 for referring another eligible person to the study who completes the survey (up to $25)

This study is being conducted by and for our community with the support of Vanderbilt University and the National Institutes of Health. We hope to use the results of this study to inform policy and programs for older LGBT adults in the South.

This study has been approved by the Vanderbilt University Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research.

Learn More

It takes just a few minutes to see if you are eligible.

Give us a call if you need help.

(615)-343-2631

(877)-932-0614 (toll free)

See if you are eligible

VUSNAPS BioAge Study

Information for Current VUSNAPS Participants

Dear Current VUSNAPS Participants,

We continue to be grateful for your participation in the VUSNAPS study.

Your responses have helped us understand more about the aging experiences of adults in the US South. We’ve also used the information you provided to help state and local governments and community organizations better serve the needs of people in the study during the COVID pandemic.

We are excited to be expanding the study to learn more about how the aging experiences you told us about relate to biological age – that is, how your cells are aging.

This study is part of VUSNAPS and is called the VUSNAPS BioAge study.

If you do not want to participate in this additional study, you do not have to. You will stay enrolled in VUSNAPS even if you do not want to participate in the VUSNAPS BioAge study.

We are hoping that you will be interested in participating in this additional study.

Over the next few months, we will be providing all current participants with additional information and a sample collection kit via mail. All that you have to do to participate is collect two (2) cheek swabs, complete a short online survey (5 minutes or less) and return the samples in the pre-paid mailer included in the included with the sample collection kit. The sample collection kit includes instructions for how to provide a cheek swab, return mailing materials, as well as a link to our BioAge survey.

As a thank you for your participation, you will receive a $20 electronic gift card.

As with the VUSNAPS main study, all of your information is confidential. On the survey form, you will have the opportunity to indicate your preferences for how we use your BioAge sample if you decide to participate.

Learn More

All current VUSNAPS participants are eligible to participate.

Give us a call if you need help.

(615)-343-2631

(877)-932-0614 (toll free)

Have a Question?

Resources for Participants in Davidson and Williamson County, TN

If you live in Davidson or Williamson County, TN, and need assistance with food, grocery pickup or delivery, transportation, housing, financial assistance, HIV/STI testing, mental health, or medication assistance, we have a list of resources for you. Several organizations are providing assistance to folks in our community. Check out:

FiftyForward (for immediate assistance, call 615-743-3416)

Nashville CARES

Nashville-Davidson County COVID-19 Response Fund

Information for participants in other locations

If you live outside of Davidson or Williamson County, TN, we have other resource lists available. Send us a quick email at vusnaps@vanderbilt.edu or give us a call at 615-343-2631.

Study results

WATCH: Vanderbilt University Health Equity Series: LGBTQ Health and COVID-19 in the US and Beyond

A talk by Dr. Tara McKay on the state of the research as of October 2020 on LGBTQ health during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and internationally.

WATCH: Webinar with the Nashville/Davidson County Mayor's Office, Metro Nashville City Council, and

COVERAGE from May 15, 2020: District 8 Councilmember Nancy VanReece hosts this virtual meeting discussing "LGBTQ Health in the Age of COVID-19"

Older LGBTQ Tennesseans and Covid-19

Since April 1, 2020, we have been collecting information on how older LGBT adults in the South are being affected by the coronavirus pandemic. As of May 4, 2020, we are still actively recruiting, but we are able to share some insights about how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting older LGBT people in Tennessee. See our RESEARCH BRIEF on Covid-19 and Older LGBT Tennesseans.

The Impact of Covid-19 on LGBTQ Americans

In another study, we collected data on the effects of Covid-19 on LGBTQ Americans of all ages in the US. See our RESEARCH BRIEF on the effects of Covid-19 on job and wage loss, health concerns, and other impacts among our communities.

Information for Researchers

The purpose of VUSNAPS is to understand the different kinds of personal relationships that older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary adults in the US South draw on to provide support in mid- and later-life. We will use these data to examine how life events affect those relationships and the health of older LGBT people. We are interested in identifying factors that exacerbate health inequalities and those that help older LGBT adults thrive in later life.

Learn More

Have questions about the study design, research materials, or data availability?

Send us a message

meet the vusnaps team

Tara McKay

Christopher Carpenter

KaTerri Kelly

Assistant Professor

Center for Medicine, Health, and Society

Principal Investigator

KaTerri Kelly

Christopher Carpenter

KaTerri Kelly

Project Coordinator

Christopher Carpenter

Professor, Economics

Director, Vanderbilt LGBT Policy Lab

Co-Investigator

Lauren Gaydosh

Gilbert Gonzales

Christopher Carpenter

Assistant Professor

University of Texas, Austin

Co-Investigator

Gilbert Gonzales

Assistant Professor

Center for Medicine, Health, and Society

Co-Investigator

Cassy Dorff

Gilbert Gonzales

Assistant Professor, Political Science

Affiliated Faculty

Kristin Michelitch

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Assistant Professor, Political Science

Affiliated Faculty

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Post Doctoral Researcher

University of Maryland PhD

Harry Barbee

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Matthew Facciani

Post Doctoral Researcher

Florida State University PhD

Matthew Facciani

Post Doctoral Researcher

University of South Carolina PhD

Lauren Chojnacki

Matthew Facciani

Lauren Chojnacki

Graduate Student Researcher

Political Science

Vanderbilt University

VUsnaps

Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study

Information for New Participants

Information for Current Participants

Information for Current Participants

Information for Current Participants

Information for Current Participants

Information for Current Participants

Meet Our Team

Information for Current Participants

Meet Our Team

WELCOME TO VUSNAPS

Information for New Participants

Learn More

VUSNAPS BioAge Study

Information for Current VUSNAPS Participants

Learn More

We're Here to Help

Resources for Participants in Davidson and Williamson County, TN

Information for participants in other locations

Study results

WATCH: Vanderbilt University Health Equity Series: LGBTQ Health and COVID-19 in the US and Beyond

WATCH: Webinar with the Nashville/Davidson County Mayor's Office, Metro Nashville City Council, and

Older LGBTQ Tennesseans and Covid-19

The Impact of Covid-19 on LGBTQ Americans

Information for Researchers

Learn More

meet the vusnaps team

Tara McKay

Christopher Carpenter

KaTerri Kelly

KaTerri Kelly

Christopher Carpenter

KaTerri Kelly

Christopher Carpenter

Christopher Carpenter

Christopher Carpenter

Lauren Gaydosh

Gilbert Gonzales

Christopher Carpenter

Gilbert Gonzales

Gilbert Gonzales

Gilbert Gonzales

Cassy Dorff

Gilbert Gonzales

Gilbert Gonzales

Kristin Michelitch

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Harry Barbee

Ellesse-Roselee Akré

Matthew Facciani

Matthew Facciani

Matthew Facciani

Matthew Facciani

Lauren Chojnacki

Matthew Facciani

Lauren Chojnacki

Eliza Blades

Matthew Facciani

Lauren Chojnacki

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Keaton Song

Serena Musungu

Serena Musungu

Serena Musungu

Serena Musungu

Serena Musungu

Lily Jaremski

Lily Jaremski

Lily Jaremski

Hannah Nesson

Lily Jaremski

Lily Jaremski

Our Collaborators

UC Berkeley Social Networks Study

USC Center for Economic and Social Research