Queer & Trans Behavior, Identity, Stress and Health Lab
The QBISH Lab produces actionable science on queer and trans health across the life course.
Department: Family Science
Director: Dr. M. Bishop
Email: qbishlab@umd.edu
Dr. M. Bishop - Director, QBISH Lab
Dr. M. Bishop (they/them) is an Assistant Professor in the department of Family Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park. Bishop’s scholarship leverages developmental, intersectional, and community-engaged approaches to document the lives and health of LGBTQ+ people across the life course, with a particular emphasis on youth. Bishop’s scholarly work has been disseminated in academic journals including Pediatrics, Journal of Adolescent Health, Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, and Developmental Psychology; in policy-relevant outlets including proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering and American Academy of Medical Colleges; and in LGBTQ+-specific learning spaces such as the Gender Infinity conference, the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to Thrive conference, and the University of Maryland LGBTQ+ Equity Center. Bishop received their Masters and Doctoral degrees from University of Texas at Austin, and completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park.
Mission Statement:
The QBISH Lab advances rigorous, community-centered research on queer and trans peoples’ identity, stress, and health across development. Our goal is to identify modifiable drivers of health inequities and translate evidence into actionable outcomes, from safer schools, to more supportive families and healthcare, to effective policy.
Current Projects
Project 1 - Gender Affirming Behavioral and Social Strategies among LGBTQ+ Youth
Principal Investigator: Dr. M. Bishop
This project explores how youth engage in daily gender affirming behavioral and social strategies – forms of affirmation that are crucial for trans and nonbinary youth’s health and wellbeing, yet are understudied relative to other forms of gender affirming care. Findings can be used to generate foundational data on the ways that everyday gender affirming social and behavioral strategies inform young people’s health and wellbeing.
Project 2 - Trans Misinformation in Family Context
Principal Investigator: Dr. M. Bishop
In this study, we are exploring the content, sources, and impact of transgender-related misinformation and anti-trans cultural rhetoric in family context. Our goal is to identify effective strategies that families use to respond to trans misinformation and anti-trans sentiment, and ultimately, to leverage findings to disrupt the adoption and influence of transgender-related misinformation and disinformation.
Project 3 - BREATHE: Developing an mHealth App to Promote Healthier Chest Binding in Transgender and Gender Expansive People
Principal Investigators: Drs. M. Bishop, Sarah Peitzmeier, and Eun Kyoung Choe
The goal of this project is to create a mobile health app to provide a hub for trustworthy and accurate information and a resource for self-tracking behaviors for people who chest bind. We hope that this work will expand TNB people’s access to reliable information about chest binding in healthy and meaningful ways.
Dr. Bishop is currently accepting new PhD students for the 2027 application cycle.
If you are interested in joining the lab as a UGRA or GRA, please complete this survey. If opportunities are available, Dr. Bishop will follow up via email.