Faculty bio | https://laurenforrest.com/ 

Lauren Forrest is an academic expert in suicide, eating disorders and the LGBTQIA+ community. Her research works to answer questions such as “Which groups and subgroups of people are most likely to attempt suicide or develop an eating disorder? What causes a specific person’s suicide risk to increase at a specific moment in time, and why? Much of her lab’s current research is dedicated to studying suicide and eating disorders within the LGBTQIA+ community. LGBTQIA+ people have high rates of suicide and eating disorders yet are rarely included in research studies. Not including LGBTQIA+ people in research studies means that there are major questions that need answered to better prevent and treat suicide and eating disorders in LGBTQIA+ people. Lauren’s research works to answer some of these questions. Lauren believes that more effective prevention and treatment of suicide and eating disorders in LGBTQIA+ people would contribute to more effective prevention and treatment of these problems for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Lauren’s research has been funded by the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, the American Psychological Association, the Academy for Eating Disorders, and the Military Suicide Research Consortium. The Association for Psychological Science named Lauren as a 2025 Rising Star.

Recent Media:

• Suicide ideation, attempt highest in Hispanic and Black bisexual women (HCP News, July 20, 2023)
• Penn State’s College of Medicine attempting to pinpoint communities with high risk of suicide; study (abc27 News, Sept. 29, 2023)
• Black bisexual women in rural areas are at highest risk for suicidal behaviors (Penn State College of Medicine, Sept. 26, 2023)
• Exposure therapy to feared foods may help kids with eating disorders (Penn State College of Medicine, April 5, 2023)