WGSS x Biobehavioral Health

Understanding Health Through an Intersectional Lens

A Biobehavioral Health degree explores the biological, behavioral, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental factors that influence health and well-being.

A major or minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) complements that interdisciplinary foundation with a deeper examination of how gender, race, sexuality, class, disability, and other identities shape health experiences and outcomes.

Whether you’re interested in health care, public health, medicine, research, health policy, or community advocacy, WGSS helps you understand how identity, power, and inequality influence health while developing the communication, research, and leadership skills needed to support healthier, more equitable communities.

Why Add WGSS?

Biobehavioral Health examines health through multiple interconnected dimensions. WGSS adds a critical perspective on how identity, culture, institutions, and systems influence those dimensions and contribute to differences in health experiences, access to care, and outcomes.

Through an interdisciplinary approach, students connect health research with real-world issues such as health disparities, reproductive health, LGBTQ+ health, gender-based violence, access to care, and community well-being.

You’ll build skills in:

Critical thinking and evidence-based analysis
Cultural competency and perspective-taking
Research and ethical decision-making
Communication and advocacy
Leadership and collaboration
Applied problem-solving

These skills are valued across health care, public health, research, policy, nonprofit organizations, and community-based professions.

See Where WGSS Can Take You

Health Care

Examine how identity, culture, and inequality influence health experiences, access to care, and patient outcomes while preparing to promote equitable and culturally responsive care.

Public Health

Explore health disparities and the social and structural factors that influence the health and well-being of individuals, populations, and communities.

Reproductive Health

Examine reproductive health, rights, and justice while exploring how policy, access, identity, and inequality shape health experiences and outcomes.

LGBTQ+ Health

Explore how identity, discrimination, social environments, and access to care influence the physical and mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities.

Research

Connect biological and behavioral approaches with social and cultural perspectives to develop more inclusive research questions and deepen your understanding of health and well-being.

Health Policy and Advocacy

Examine how policies and institutions influence access to care and health outcomes while developing the communication and advocacy skills needed to promote healthier, more equitable communities.

Opportunities Through WGSS

Students apply what they learn beyond the classroom through opportunities such as:

Research with interdisciplinary faculty mentors
Independent studies
Internships with health, advocacy, nonprofit, and community organizations
Education abroad experiences
Leadership through TRIOTA and other student organizations
Community-engaged learning

WMNST 451

Feminist Perspectives on Women’s Health Issues

Explore women’s health through feminist, womanist, and queer perspectives. Examine how race, class, sexuality, gender identity, and social and political systems contribute to health disparities, and consider more just and inclusive approaches to health and health care.

Continue Exploring

Interested in seeing where a WGSS major or minor can take you?

Explore career pathways, student stories, internships, research opportunities, and examples of how WGSS prepares students to make an impact across a wide range of professions.