Samantha (Sam) Lawrence is a Ph.D. candidate dedicated to the study of identity-based stigma and health among LGBTQ+ individuals, folks with high body weight, and individuals with intersecting marginalized identities. She conducts quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research related to these interests at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health with her doctoral advisor, Dr. Rebecca Puhl. Sam also collaborates on projects in the DASH and SHINE labs, under the mentorship of Drs. Eva Lefkowitz, Kay Simon, Lisa Eaton, and Ryan Watson, related to LGBTQ+ young people’s interpersonal relationships, experiences of stigma, and overall well-being.
Sam recently successfully defended her dissertation on weight communication and stigma in the family context. She conducted three studies using three different participant samples—including a multinational sample—and mixed methodologies. Collectively, findings from these studies underscore the prevalence and ramifications of family-based weight stigma in six Western countries, especially from members of one’s immediate family (e.g., mother, romantic partner), and highlight the myriad qualitatively distinct forms family-based weight stigma can take (e.g., teasing, passive aggressive remarks, social exclusion). These findings highlight the need for weight stigma reduction efforts and public health messaging campaigns to target family relationships, helping family members to reduce their internalized weight bias and engage in more supportive, rather than stigmatizing, communication about weight-related health with their loved ones.
In addition to honing her research skills while at UConn, Sam has had the privilege of mentoring more than a dozen undergraduate research assistants and Honors students and teaching several HDFS courses, including Research Methods in Human Development, Diversity Issues in HDFS, and Adolescent Development. In recognition of her commitment to mentorship and teaching, she received the 2019 Outstanding Instructor in Human Development and Family Sciences Award, the 2020 University Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and the 2020 Mentorship Excellence Award from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Sam is incredibly excited for her professional next steps. This summer, she’ll be joining Dr. Marla Eisenberg and her team as a post-doctoral research scholar at the University of Minnesota in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health. As part of Dr. Eisenberg’s mixed-methods Protection at the Intersection for Queer Teens of Color (PIQ-TOC) study, Sam’s research will focus on the health and experiences of LGBTQ+ adolescents with multiple marginalized social positions.
Outside of her work, Sam enjoys distance running (she completed 3 marathons and a trail ultramarathon in her time as a graduate student), hiking, Peloton workouts, practicing French, tending to her house plants, and—most of all—spending time with her loved ones.