April Acheta

Bio

Dr. April Acheta is a postdoctoral fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she focuses on the health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents. With a Ph.D. in Nursing from Columbia University, Dr. Acheta is dedicated to understanding the impacts of social and school-based policies on violence victimization and weight-related health disparities among SGM adolescents.

During her graduate training, Dr. Acheta worked with Dr. Tonda L. Hughes, a renowned expert in LGBTQ health. Her dissertation explored the impacts of school climate and education policy on weight and victimization disparities among sexual minority adolescents. This work laid the foundation for her current research at CHOP. At CHOP, Dr. Acheta is part of the PolicyLab and the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) fellowship. Her research aims to expand understanding of the healthcare and school experiences of SGM adolescents, particularly at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. She is also exploring the role of school nurses in care delivery for these adolescents.

Dr. Acheta is committed to building foundational knowledge on the experiences of SGM adolescents and school nurses in the U.S., with the goal of informing future school-based interventions to reduce health disparities. Her work at CHOP not only advances the understanding of health disparities but also promotes equity and inclusion in healthcare research.