Dr. Tara Lyons is a Research Scientist for the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE) and the Gender and Sexual Health Initiative (GSHI) in Vancouver, B.C. At the GSHI, she leads research projects in the areas of trans health, sexuality, and sex work where she works closely with community members and community partners to build community-based research projects. She is also a Faculty Member for the Department of Criminology in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University. In this position, she develops and teaches courses in the areas of criminology, qualitative research methods, gender, sexuality, and the intersections of law and health. She is also the co-lead of the Social Justice Centre.
She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology at Simon Fraser University. Following, she pursued her Masters in Sociology at Concordia University. Then moved to Carleton University to undertake her Ph.D. studies in Sociology. By received her PhD in Sociology from Carleton University in Ottawa.
Dr. Lyons’ research examines how legal and health structures impact the health of LGBTQI2+ persons. She is spearheading a CTN Pilot Study Grant called: Assessing HIV/STBBI prevention, testing, and treatment among trans individuals in British Columbia: A provincial pilot study of health care experiences. She is part of a national trans-led team of researchers focused on research with, by, and for trans people living with and/or affected by HIV. The group, called the CTN CIHR Working Group: Trans People and HIV, engages and collaborates with persons living with and/or are affected by HIV and related healthcare organizations and advocates for the meaningful inclusion of trans persons in research.
