Zurich meets the world: Global LGBTIQ+ health research summit at UZH

From 23 to 26 June 2026, the University of Zurich brought together around 80 researchers and representatives from more than 70 countries for the kick-off workshop of the Global LGBTIQ+ Health project. Led by Prof. Dr Tabea Hässler from the UZH Department of Social Psychology, the international gathering launches the first global research consortium focused on how LGBTIQ+ people worldwide can live healthier and safer lives.

Funded by an SNSF Starting Grant, the project sets itself apart from past approaches: rather than exporting Western research questions to other countries, it involves local experts in shaping the research agenda from the outset. "Global research only works when local expertise is included from the very beginning," Hässler emphasises. The Swiss research team works in close partnership with LGBTIQ+ organisations across every continent.

Workshop topics reflect the range of queer health challenges worldwide: discrimination and its impact on physical and mental health outcomes, social support networks, legal recognition, safety and belonging, and minority stress among LGBTIQ+ people. In countries where legal recognition for queer people remains a distant prospect, research gaps are especially wide.

The project complements the Swiss LGBTIQ+ Panel, a longitudinal study tracking the situation of queer people in Switzerland since 2019. Public events took place throughout the workshop week — a panel discussion on 23 June addressed global anti-LGBTIQ+ backlash, and a public lecture on 24 June explored the worldwide situation of LGBTIQ+ people. For queer people in Switzerland, this international research commitment sends a positive signal: Switzerland is positioning itself as a hub for global queer health research and contributing to a worldwide network of LGBTIQ+-supportive science.