Shanna K. Kattari

Shanna K. Kattari, PhD, MEd, CSE, ACS is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the Department of Women and Gender Studies (by courtesy), and Director of the [Sexuality|Relationships|Gender] Research Collective. A White, Jewish, nonbinary, disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, middle class queer fat Femme, their practice and community background is as a board certified sexologist, certified sexuality educator, and social justice advocate. Dr. Kattari’s extant research focuses on understanding how power, privilege and oppression systematically marginalize, exclude, and discriminate against people regarding their identities/expressions through negative attitudes, policies reinforcing oppression, oppressive actions and isolation. Recently, they have focused on the health disparities among trans and gender diverse communities, across physical and behavioral health, as well as working with the community through community based participatory research and arts based research methods to better understand how the lack of inclusive providers has increased these disparities. They are also interested in examining sexuality in marginalized communities, particularly disabled adults and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. They offer use of the Trans-Inclusive Provider Scale, developed and validated on a trans and nonbinary sample in Michigan, and are the lead editor of Social Work and Health Care Practice with Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals and Communities, edited by Shanna K. Kattari, M. Killian Kinney, Leonardo Kattari, and N. Eugene Walls.

Dr. Kattari has been working in the fields of sexuality and social justice since receiving her Master’s of Education in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University. In their work as a sexuality educator and diversity/inclusivity consultant, they worked with organizations such as The Colorado Department of Public Health Education, the Mayo Clinic, and the American Medical Students Association’s sexual health scholars program to bring LGBTQIA2S+ and disability inclusivity to medicine, and with many colleges and universities to offer accessible sex education on campus. Additionally, they have several popular press books on the market, has written for several publications, and has been on the board of directors for several social justice organizations.

In their work, Dr. Kattari strongly values translational research that benefits the communities being researched, and strongly believes in making research accessible to not only academics but also to society at large. They are also committed to engaging, innovative education and pedagogy, multi-level mentorship models, and supporting individuals from a variety of marginalized identities in entering, navigating, and succeeding in the Academy