John Edward Pachankis Jr

Visiting Professor of Psychology at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience as of 15 February 2026. Primary position: Professor at the Yale School of Public Health, USA.

People with diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions have existed, and will always exist, across the world. Despite this, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are often devalued and excluded from full participation in society – at school, at work, and sometimes also within their families. Even in more inclusive societies and environments, LGBT individuals often report a sense of not fitting in and challenges in forming adult lives outside of established norms.

John Pachankis researches how LGBT people adapt to their surroundings, and the psychological consequences this has, both positive and negative. His clinical research seeks to identify ways to support LGBT individuals and has contributed to changes in psychological treatment for this population worldwide. For example, he has studied the biological consequences of social exclusion, the psychological costs of secrecy, the pursuit of authenticity and validation, and the formation of a coherent self in the modern world.

Supervision to doctoral degree

• Arjan van der Star, Structural, interpersonal, and individual factors influencing sexual orientation-based disparities in mental health, 2020