HIV/AIDS History:
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) Stories
In collaboration with the Binghamton Human Sexualities Research Lab, Casey studies the history of GMHC, the world’s first HIV/AIDS service organization. This has involved (a) the collection of 90+ oral history interviews with former GMHC volunteers and staff people and (b) curation of additional GMHC archival materials. These interviews and records have been donated to the New York Public Library’s Division of Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books (“Sean Massey Gay Men’s Health Crisis Collection” & “GMHC Stories: An Oral History Project,” available in winter 2024).
Casey is authoring “Sexy Innovations,” a book chapter on GMHC’s identity-affirming, norm-critical, and intentionally erotic HIV/AIDS prevention materials. Casey has presented findings and detailed the team’s methods at a number of panels, exhibits, and national conferences.
For his work on GMHC’s history, Casey received Binghamton University’s Provost Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (2021-2022 academic year).
Positive Youth Development
and Adolescent Sexual Health
Born from his study of historic HIV prevention materials, Casey is interested in how youth activism and collective sexual identity can aid in promoting healthier behaviors among adolescents — particularly young men who have sex with men. This includes inquiry into how adolescents navigate complicated policies in order to access important forms of sexual and reproductive healthcare. He recently first-authored an opinion editorial on this topic — forthcoming in the American Journal of Public Health.
Casey serves as a Research Aide and Community Outreach Coordinator in the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE), an institute within the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University. Through PRYDE, Casey collaborates with organizations across the U.S. to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based positive youth development programs. He also coordinates and co-leads trainings in youth participatory action research (YPAR) for adolescents across New York State — encouraging these young people to ask critical questions about their communities, social environments, and health.
Casey is responsible for mentoring and supervising a cohort of 20 undergraduate PRYDE Scholars — highly motivated Cornell Human Ecology students, each participating in various community-engaged research projects.
A full list of Casey’s experiences
can be found on his CV.