LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 12, 2025) — Each year, the University of Kentucky Graduate School recognizes exceptional faculty for their achievements in graduate education and scholarly research. Ellen D.B. Riggle, Ph.D, receives the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, awarded for outstanding contributions to original research and scholarship.
Riggle is a professor of political science and gender and women’s studies in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. Riggle’s research explores topics including stress, health disparities and the effects of law and policy on the well-being of LGBTQ individuals and couples.
“I am honored to receive the Kirwan Prize in recognition of my scholarship and collaborations, and the impact my research has on addressing health disparities and enhancing the quality of well-being for LGBTQ people and their families.”
Over the years, Riggle has collaborated with colleagues and emerging scholars across disciplines and institutions.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to establish strong research collaborations here at UK, such as with my colleague Jenn Hunt, Ph.D., and with scholars from other universities, such as Tonda Hughes, Ph.D., at Columbia University and Laurie Drabble, Ph.D., at San Jose State University,” she said.
These collaborations often extend to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
“For example, my work involving a post-doc and graduate student created a scale to measure hypervigilance among LGBTQ people, an important concept in understanding minority stress that was previously unmeasured,” Riggle said. “This scale has already been translated and used in international health research.”
Riggle is also known for her international mentoring and resource development.
“I recently collaborated with a master's student and her advisor in Wuhan, China to translate into Chinese and validate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Positive Identity Scale (LGB-PIM; Riggle et al., 2014),” she said. “It’s always gratifying when young scholars reach out because they’ve read my work and are inspired to new research endeavors to address their own scholarly questions.”
About the Kirwan Memorial Prize
The Kirwan Memorial Prize was established in 1995 and recognizes its namesakes' collaborative research efforts, as well as Albert Kirwan's endeavors in creating an environment at UK that promotes high quality research and scholarship. Albert "Ab" Kirwan was head football coach at UK from 1938 to 1944 and was a distinguished faculty member and scholar in the field of Southern history. He later served as dean of The Graduate School and as the seventh president of the university. Elizabeth Kirwan was awarded the Sullivan Medallion in 1973 for her service to UK and the Lexington community. She held executive roles across more than 10 organizations, including president of the UK Woman’s Club and chairwoman of the Lexington Parks and Recreation Board.