Kathryn Macapagal is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Medical Social Sciences and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She co-directs the Thrive Center within Northwestern's Impact Institute, which advances translational and implementation research in LGBTQ+ health across the lifespan, and co-directs the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research Developmental Core, where she supports growth of scholars new to HIV research or early in their careers. As PI of the Thrive Center’s Teen Health Lab, her work focuses on understanding how LGBTQ+ adolescents use ever-evolving technologies and online spaces to learn about health and their identities, and to connect with others for social, romantic, and sexual relationships. Her team then translates these youth insights into multimedia and digital health programs focused on HIV prevention, sexual health, and wellbeing via adolescent-centered participatory design approaches. She co-founded PrEP4Teens, an award-winning social marketing and community mobilization campaign aimed at empowering Chicago-area adolescents to take charge of their sexual health, which is being implemented by TaskForce Prevention and Community Services, a BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth-centered organization on the west side of Chicago. Her work has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Chicago Department of Public Health, and the Alphawood Foundation.