Benjamin F. Shepherd, PhD
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Postdoctoral Fellow
Biography
Benjamin F. Shepherd, Ph.D., is an NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Yale School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, with a background in clinical psychology. As a researcher and clinician, he specializes in examining the psychosocial mechanisms of risk and resilience underlying mental and behavioral health inequities (e.g., depression, anxiety, alcohol/substance use, disordered eating, HIV-transmission-risk behaviors) faced by LGBTQ+ communities across the lifespan, using an intersectional lens, to inform treatment and prevention efforts. He is particularly interested in investigating how, why, and under what conditions intraminority stress (i.e., stress caused by various forms of stigma perpetuated within a minoritized community) affects health. His current mentors are Dr. John Pachankis and Dr. Trace Kershaw.
Last Updated on November 18, 2025.
Appointments
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Postdoctoral FellowPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- Nova Southeastern University, Clinical Psychology (2025)
- Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology
- Boston University School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center (2025)
- MS
- Nova Southeastern University, Clinical Psychology (2023)
- MEd
- Lehigh University, Human Development (2019)
- BA
- Lehigh University, Spanish and Hispanic Studies (2016)
- BS
- Lehigh University, Psychology (2015)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Ethnic and Racial Minorities; Health Disparate Minority and Vulnerable Populations; Hispanic or Latino; Mental Disorders; Psychiatry and Psychology; Psychological Phenomena; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Social Stigma; Vulnerable Populations
Public Health Interests
Mental Health; Aging; Behavioral Health; Health Equity, Disparities, Social Determinants and Justice; HIV/AIDS
ORCID
0000-0001-7645-9836
Research at a Glance
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Benjamin F. Shepherd's research output by year.
17Publications
Publications
Featured Publications
Longitudinal associations between dating app use, sexual racism, and mental health among Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men: The protective roles of general social support and identity-specific community connection.
Shepherd BF, Parra LA, Kipke MD, Layland EK. Longitudinal associations between dating app use, sexual racism, and mental health among Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men: The protective roles of general social support and identity-specific community connection. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology 2027 DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000793.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchLet's get real: Identity concealment, burnout, and therapeutic relationship quality among psychology trainees with concealable stigmatized identities.
Shepherd BF, Brochu PM. Let's get real: Identity concealment, burnout, and therapeutic relationship quality among psychology trainees with concealable stigmatized identities. Psychotherapy (Chic) 2024, 61: 125-136. PMID: 38512207, DOI: 10.1037/pst0000522.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA critical examination of disparities in eating disorder symptoms by sexual orientation among US adults in the NESARC-III.
Shepherd BF, Brochu PM, Rodriguez-Seijas C. A critical examination of disparities in eating disorder symptoms by sexual orientation among US adults in the NESARC-III. Int J Eat Disord 2022, 55: 790-800. PMID: 35467039, DOI: 10.1002/eat.23717.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAn examination of theory-based suicidal ideation risk factors in college students with multiple marginalized identities.
Shepherd BF, Kelly LM, Brochu PM, Wolff JC, Swenson LP. An examination of theory-based suicidal ideation risk factors in college students with multiple marginalized identities. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2023, 93: 107-119. PMID: 36913274, DOI: 10.1037/ort0000666.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2026
Intraminority Body Stigma and Body Dissatisfaction Clarify the Prospective Link Between LGBTQ+ Community Involvement and Thinness-Oriented Disordered Eating in Sexual Minoritized Men.
Barnhart WR, Shepherd BF, Dixit U, Costello K, Convertino AD, Brown T, Braden A, Nagata JM, He J. Intraminority Body Stigma and Body Dissatisfaction Clarify the Prospective Link Between LGBTQ+ Community Involvement and Thinness-Oriented Disordered Eating in Sexual Minoritized Men. Int J Eat Disord 2026 PMID: 41486107, DOI: 10.1002/eat.70018.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
O te peinas, o te haces rolos: Intersectional discrimination, identity conflict, and mental health among Latinx sexual minoritized adults.
Shepherd BF, Rentería R, Capielo Rosario C, Brochu PM. O te peinas, o te haces rolos: Intersectional discrimination, identity conflict, and mental health among Latinx sexual minoritized adults. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 2025, 31: 138-150. PMID: 37668577, DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000621.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Out of the Closet, but Not Out of the Woods: The Longitudinal Associations Between Identity Disclosure, Discrimination, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Sexual Minoritized Young Adults.
Shepherd BF, Chang CJ, Dyar C, Brochu PM, Selby EA, Feinstein BA. Out of the Closet, but Not Out of the Woods: The Longitudinal Associations Between Identity Disclosure, Discrimination, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Sexual Minoritized Young Adults. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers 2024, 11: 294-304. PMID: 39220295, DOI: 10.1037/sgd0000597.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBeyond “not my type”: A quantitative examination of intraminority stigma among gay men who use dating apps
Shepherd, B. F., Tidwell, C. A., Layland, E. K., Maki, J. L., & Brochu, P. M. (2024). Beyond “not my type”: A quantitative examination of intraminority stigma among gay men who use dating apps. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000715Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2023
Hidden grief is complicated: identity concealment as a minority stressor and relational-cultural barrier among bereaved sexual and gender minoritized elders
Shepherd, B. F., Brochu, P. M., & Stripling, A. M. (2023). Hidden grief is complicated: Identity concealment as a minority stressor and relational-cultural barrier among bereaved sexual and gender minoritized elders. Psychology & Sexuality, 14(4), 596–613. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2021.1970618Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCo-occurring suicidal ideation and alcohol-related problems: An intersectional analysis of Native American and White adults with minoritized sexual identities.
Kelly LM, Shepherd BF, Brochu PM, Zajac K. Co-occurring suicidal ideation and alcohol-related problems: An intersectional analysis of Native American and White adults with minoritized sexual identities. Addict Behav 2023, 142: 107674. PMID: 36905898, DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107674.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Honors
honor Distinguished Student Contribution Award
05/10/2024Other AwardAmerican Psychological Association (APA) Division 44 (Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity)DetailsUnited Stateshonor Doctoral Student Small Grants Program
04/01/2023Other AwardResearch Society on Alcohol (RSA)DetailsUnited Stateshonor Student Research Award
03/27/2023Other AwardNova Southeastern University, Department of Clinical and School PsychologyDetailsUnited States
Get In Touch
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Contacts
Locations
Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative
Lab
276 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA)
Lab
Yale School of Public Health (LEPH)
60 College Street
New Haven, CT 06510