Biography

Dr. Lindsay Taliaferro received her Ph.D. in Health Behavior from the University of Florida in 2009. She then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Healthy Youth Development -Prevention Research Center, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. The UCF College of Medicine (COM) welcomed Dr. Taliaferro as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in July of 2016. Dr. Taliaferro is a member of the Department of Population Health Sciences. Her primary role focuses on Population Health research, with an emphasis on suicide prevention and receipt of high-quality healthcare for adolescents and emerging adults. She conducts strengths-based, mixed-methods research, examining effects of modifiable protective factors across individual, interpersonal, community, and societal/structural levels on mental health outcomes and healthcare utilization. In recognition of her research, she received a UCF Reach for the Stars Award, UCF Women of Distinction Award, UCF COM Research Incentive Award, and UCF COM Early Career Investigator Award for Achievement in Research. She also received an Early Stage Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) SGMRO. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institute of Mental Health, and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Dr. Taliaferro is a member of several professional organizations focused on adolescent health and suicide prevention. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of School Health and a standing member on the NIH Social Psychology, Personality, and Interpersonal Processes Study Section. She has presented her research at numerous national, international, and local conferences, and published scholarly articles in a variety of peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Recent Publications

Selected peer-reviewed articles and book chapters

1. Areba EM, Mathiason MA, Jewett PI, Taliaferro LA, Borowsky IW. Population-based surveillance of suicidality among adolescents who do not endorse suicide risks and implications for screening. Academic Pediatrics, 2025; 102886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2025.102886.
2. Taliaferro LA, Muehlenkamp JJ, Price MN, Eden TM, Cook S, Moore KL, Dvorak RD, Schrimshaw EW. Integrating a strengths-based intersectional approach to the study of suicide risk among Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. Mental Health Science, 2025; 3:e70025. https://doi.org/10.1002/mhs2.70025.

3. Areba EM, Jewett PI, Mathiason MA, Taliaferro LA, Borowsky IW. Trends and disparities in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among an ethnoracially diverse group of adolescents: 2013-2022. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-025-02431-8.
4. Gardner CM, Carter SK, Schrimshaw EW, Carter JS, Taliaferro LA. Activating intersectionality in research interviews. In Marvasti AB, Gubrium JF (Eds.). Interviews as Activated Storytelling. New York, NY: Routledge; 2025, pp.125-142.
5. Jewett P, Taliaferro LA, Mathiason M, Borowsky IW, Areba E. Structural adverse childhood experiences associated with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and repetitive non-suicidal self-injury among racially and ethnically minoritized youth. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2024; https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.13084.
6. Reeves K, Job S, Blackwell C, Sanchez K, Carter S, Taliaferro L. Provider cultural competence and humility in healthcare interactions with transgender and nonbinary young adults. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2024; 56(1):18-30.
7. Taliaferro LA, Westers N, Matsumiya B, Ingraham K, Muehlenkamp JJ, Hughes CE. Improving capacity to identify, assess, and manage adolescents engaging in non-suicidal self-injury using patient avatars. Medical Teacher, 2023; 45(11):1283-1289.
8. Taliaferro LA, Heerde JA, Bailey JA, Toumbourou JW, McMorris BJ. Adolescent predictors of deliberate self-harm thoughts and behavior among young adults: a longitudinal cross-national study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2023; 73(3):61-69.
9. Zullo L, Rogers ML, Taliaferro LA. NSSI among sexual and gender diverse youth. In Lloyd-Richardson EE, Baetens I, Whitlock J (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 2023. org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197611272.001.0001.
10. Baiden P, LaBrenz CA, Onyeaka HK, Muoghalu C, Nicholas JK, Spoor S, Bock E, Taliaferro LA. Perceived racial discrimination and suicidal behaviors among racial and ethnic minority adolescents in the United States: Findings from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey. Psychiatry Research, 2022; 317:114877.
11. Taliaferro LA, Mishtal J, Chulani VL, Middleton TC, Acevedo M, Eisenberg ME. Perspectives on inadequate preparation and training priorities for physicians working with sexual minority youth. International Journal of Medical Education, 2021; 12:186-194.
12. Areba EM, Taliaferro LA, Forster M, McMorris BJ, Mathiason MA, Eisenberg ME. Adverse childhood experiences and suicidality: student connectedness as a protective factor for ethnic minority adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 2021; 120:105637.
13. Green AE, Taliaferro LA, Price-Feeney M. Risk and protective factors to improve well-being and prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth. In Miranda R, Jeglic E (Eds.). Handbook of Youth Suicide Prevention: Integrating Research into Practice. Switzerland, AG: Springer Nature; 2021, pp.177-194
14. Rogers ML, Taliaferro LA. Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among sexual and gender minority youth: a systematic review of recent research. Current Sexual Health Reports, 2020; 12:335-350.
15. Taliaferro LA, Doty JL, Gower AL, Querna K, Rovito MJ. Profiles of risk and protection for violence and bullying perpetration among adolescent males. Journal of School Health, 2020; 90(3):212-223.
16. Taliaferro LA, Jang ST, Westers NJ, Muehlenkamp JJ, Whitlock JL, McMorris BJ. Associations between connections to parents and friends and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: the mediating role of developmental assets. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2020; 25(2): 359-371.
17. Taliaferro LA, Mishtal J, Chulani VL, Acevedo M, Middleton TC, Eisenberg ME. Communicating effectively with sexual minority youth: perspectives of young people and healthcare providers. Acta Scientific Paediatrics, 2019; 2(10):32-39.
18. Taliaferro LA, Harder BM, Lampe NM, Carter SK, Rider GN, Eisenberg ME. Social connectedness factors that facilitate use of healthcare services: comparison of transgender/gender non-conforming and cisgender adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2019; 211:172-178.
19. Taliaferro LA, McMorris BJ, Rider GN, Eisenberg ME. Risk and protective factors for self-harm in a population-based sample of transgender youth. Archives of Suicide Research, 2019; 23(2): 203-221.
20. Taliaferro LA, Gloppen KM, Muehlenkamp JJ, Eisenberg ME. Depression and suicidality among bisexual youth: a nationally representative sample. Journal of LGBT Youth, 2018; 15(1):16-31.

Complete List of Published Work Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1vUvzczvl9gQy/bibliography/47376680/public/?sort=date&direction=descending