- els2e(at)virginia.edu
- (434) 924-5126
Edward Strickler, Jr, is Programs Coordinator of the Institute and Managing Editor of Developments in Mental Health Law, where he has served for more than a decade.
He has been awarded three graduate degrees by the University, the M.A. for completing studies in religious ethics, the M.A. for completing studies in clinical ethics, and most recently the M.P.H. from the University's Department of Public Health Sciences with special work accomplished in areas of public health policy. Within the University, he serves on the MPH Program Community Advisory Committee of the University, serves as co-convener of the University's association for lgbt faculty and staff, UVA Pride, and is active in other service roles. In 2009 the University's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs honored past and present co-conveners of UVA Pride with its Equal Opportunity Champions award. In 2008, Mr Strickler was honored with the Social Justice Service award by Virginia Organizing Project for advocacy and education toward improving health care access for underserved communities.
Continuing a tradition of community service and volunteering from childhood in the rural Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Mr. Strickler helped establish the first network of agencies, professionals, and volunteers providing HIV/AIDS education in northwestern Virginia. He is a founding member of the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee, which develops the comprehensive plan for HIV prevention services for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and guides the statewide plan for HIV care services. Involved with local, regional and statewide responses to HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years he has presented posters, roundtables, workshops, and contributed to panels, at national and regional conferences. Presentations have discussed ethical challenges faced in community outreach, volunteer and professional development, and organizational responses to disadvantaged communities and health disparities.
He has also contributed to community research and community-based participatory research in numerous roles: grant application, research design, protocol and project development, pilot testing, research in the field, review of data and development of findings and recommendations, publications from research. Some research and report titles include:
African American, Latino and Caucasian men who have sex with men (MSM) differ in perceptions and behaviors relevant to HIV/AIDS
Intensive street outreach with injection drug users
African American women and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors
African-American clergy see need for and obstacles to HIV prevention programming
Virginia Transgender Health Initiative focus groups study:
HIV-Related needs of transgender Virginians differ from those of MSM
Health, health related needs and lifecourse experiences of transgender Virginians
The State of Violence in LGBTQ Communities in Virginia
(and other studies)
He has been instrumental in forming and sustaining coalitions and collaborations responding to community health needs, including faith-based programs for family and community caregivers of persons with HIV/AIDS and other illness; community forums on health issues; community responses to bias-related violence; services for underserved youth, and other concerns.
In roles of public service, Mr. Strickler has been appointed to advisory boards with the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, the Northwestern Virginia Health Systems Agency, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, and has been elected officer for numerous boards. His service is notable for collaborative leadership, research-based assessment of community and consumer needs, assisting community and consumer involvement in planning, reviewing programs and budgets for effectiveness and social impact, and advocacy for youth and seniors, persons with disabilities, rural residents, and other underserved and vulnerable communities.
Returning to writing poety, which had been nurtured at Swarthmore College (Honors, 1978) he was awarded honors in 2007 and 2008 for poetry by the University of Virginia Art Museum's Writer's Eye competition. He was born and raised in rural western Virginia - where his family has resided for nearly 300 years - and has lived in the Charlottesville area for three decades, currently residing with his companion of more than 25 years in the historic James River village of Scottsville.