
About Us
Welcome to the Clark Lab! Our lab's overarching mission is to disentangle why lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people disproportionately experience severe, adverse mental health outcomes including suicide. We study risk and protective factors at the individual level (e.g., psychological reactions to stigma), interpersonal level (e.g., family and peer relationships), and structural level (e.g., public policy) to inform evidence-based, responsive approaches to prevention and intervention. Led by social and psychiatric epidemiologist Dr. Kirsty Clark, our quantitative, qualitative, and intervention research incorporates interdisciplinary methods from public health, epidemiology, health policy, and psychology. Located at Vanderbilt University in Middle Tennessee, we are committed to conducting community-engaged, culturally resonant research involving local LGBTQ+ communities and allies in the US Southeast and beyond!
We are not currently recruiting participants, but check back soon to participate in future studies!

RECENT CONFERENCES
33rd International Association for Suicide Prevention World Congress
Vienna, Austria
June 10-13, 2025
Alex Nikolaidis Konstas led a symposium presentation titled, "The role of sleep quality and duration in associations between daily minority stress and next-day suicidal ideation in LGBTQ+ youth"
2025 Suicide Research Symposium
Online
April 24, 2025
Alex Nikolaidis Konstas led an oral presentation titled, "Sleep's role in associations between daily minority stress and next-day suicidal ideation in LGBTQ+ youth"
Kirsty Clark led an oral presentation titled, "Exposure to Others' Suicidal Behavior among Adolescents: Investigating Disparities by Sexual and Gender Minority Status"
Kaitlyn Phillips led an oral presentation titled, "“Got to experience queer joy so close to home in an otherwise scary place”: Developmental and Qualitative Application of the Daily Identity-Related Stress and Resilience Model"
International Association for Suicide Prevention
Minneapolis, MN
November 19-22
Kaitlyn Phillips led an oral presentation titled, "Community-Engaged Development and Assessment of a Smartphone-Based EMA Assessment of Minority Stress and Suicidal Ideation in High-Risk LGBTQ+ Youth"
Alex Nikolaidis Konstas led an oral presentation titled, "Investigating the role of sleep quality and duration in associations between daily minority stress and next-day suicidal ideation in LGBTQ+ youth"​
ANNOUNCEMENTS

May 2025
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Congratulations to Alex on graduating with his MEd in Quantitative Methods!
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Alex and Nikita were awarded the Vanderbilt Graduate and Undergraduate LGBTQ+ Health Research Excellence Awards at the Lavender Graduation Ceremony
December 2024
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Lab members (Alex, Emma, Kate, Lucy) saw Nashville in Harmony perform at their Winter concert
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August 2024
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Lucy Gruber and Emma Headley joined the Clark lab!
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Project SPARK was launched!
May 2024
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Congratulations to Kate on graduating with their MEd in Community Development and Action!
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Kate was promoted to lab manager!
January 2024
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Alex Nikolaidis Konstas joined the Clark lab!
August 2022
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Kate Phillips joined the Clark lab!