Tony Maiolatesi

Anthony (Tony) Maiolatesi is a combined-degree Ph.D. student in the Departments of Psychology and Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences). His research aims to understand the causes of persistent and wide-spread inequalities in mental health and social functioning across sexual orientation groups. As a social psychologist, he is particularly interested in the social-cognitive and perceptual mechanisms that might be shaped by developmental exposure to various forms of sexual minority stigma and contribute to sexual orientation disparities in mental health and well-being. His emerging research program addresses a diverse range of basic and applied questions from a multilevel perspective, integrating theoretical and methodological approaches from experimental social psychology, cognitive science, public health, and psychophysics. His primary goal is to advance psychological theory on the role of social experiences, especially adversity and social stigma, in shaping human cognition and to inform interventions aimed at reducing public health problems disproportionally affecting sexual minority individuals.