Biography
Ryan Wade earned his PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2018, and was a Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health (CRECH) Scholar. He earned his MSW in Interpersonal Practice and Mental Health from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2013, and his BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010. Dr. Wade has worked as a clinical intern in higher education and as a licensed clinical practitioner in private practice. Dr. Wade was also a certified HIV test counselor in the state of Michigan for four years.
Research Interests
Professor Wade’s work includes a broad focus on social determinants of health, structural and community-level racism, the racial patterning of sexual/social networks within LGBTQ communities, and health disparities among gay/bisexual men. He is particularly interested in identifying social and structural factors that contribute to poor mental and sexual health outcomes among young gay/bisexual men of color. Professor Wade grounds much of his research in minority stress theory, intersectionality, and ecological systems theory.
At present, Professor Wade is investigating a phenomenon known as Racialized Sexual Discrimination (RSD), as experienced by gay/bisexual men of color on mobile apps and websites used for dating and sexual networking. He is using mixed methods to develop, validate, and refine a multidimensional scale of RSD. He is also using quantitative methods to examine the association between RSD sub-scales and indicators of psychological wellbeing.
Research Description
I am the Founder and Director of the Queer Intersections, Inclusion, and Innovation (Qi3) Lab. My work includes a broad focus on social determinants of health, structural and community-level racism, the racial patterning of sexual/social networks within LGBTQ+ communities, and health disparities among sexually and gender minoritized populations. I am particularly interested in examining the ways in which stressors (e.g., discrimination, stigma, etc.) across multiple socioecological levels contribute to poor mental health outcomes among young sexually minoritized men of color.
Education
BA, Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010
MSW, Interpersonal Practice, University of Michigan School of Social Work, 2013
PhD, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 2018
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Recent Publications
Alohan, D. I., Wade, R. M., Harper, G. W., Newman, A., Doraivelu, K., & Hussen, S. A. (2025). Predictors of Past-Year Formal and Informal Mental Health Services Utilization Among Young Black Sexually Minoritized Men Living with HIV in Atlanta, GA. AIDS and Behavior, 29(10), 3335-3346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-025-04780-1
Wade, R. M., Huang, R., Pear, M., & Piasecki, M. (2025). That’s the Bottom Line: Sexual Positioning, Gender Expression, and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Sexual Minority Black Cisgender Men Who Seek Partners Online. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000865
Wade, R. M., & Piasecki, M. (2025). Whose Role is It Anyway? Sexual Racism and Sexual Positioning Among Young Sexual Minority Black Men. Journal of Sex Research, 62(2), 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2024.2305823
Hussen, S. A., Wade, R. M., Newman, A., Alohan, D. I., & Harper, G. W. (2024). CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG BLACK GAY, BISEXUAL, AND OTHER MEN (YB-GBMSM) WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN WHO ARE LIVING WITH HIV. AIDS Education and Prevention, 36(6), 387-402. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2024.36.6.387
Wade, R. M., & Nguyễn, D. M. (2024). Does Subjective Racial Attraction Vary by Sexual Position? An Analysis of Young Sexual Minority Black Men. Sexuality and Culture, 28(4), 1775-1791. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-024-10205-3