Jeremy Goldbach, a nationally recognized scholar on LGBTQ+ mental health and the inaugural Masters & Johnson Distinguished Professor in Sexual Health and Education at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, died Saturday, June 7, 2025 of cancer. He was 42.
Goldbach also served as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the Brown School, where his loss is deeply felt across the community.
“The Brown School has lost one of its pillars,” said Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School. “Jeremy was a teacher, researcher, administrative leader, and supremely witty, wholehearted friend.”
For more than 15 years, Goldbach dedicated his career to research and teaching aimed at reducing stigma and advancing the well-being of LGBTQ+ children and adolescents. His work received support from numerous organizations, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Department of Defense, and several foundations. In 2010, he co-developed Proud & Empowered, a program designed to help empower LGBTQ+ youth and improve school climate.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Goldbach earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester before completing his MSW and PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. He began his academic career at the University of Southern California, where he served on the faculty for a decade before joining the Brown School in 2021.
In 2022, he was named the first Masters & Johnson Distinguished Professor in Sexual Health and Education, an appointment honoring the pioneering sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson, who conducted much of their work at WashU. At the Brown School, Goldbach also directed the Sexuality, Health and Gender Center.
Earlier this year, Goldbach was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, attending the ceremony in Seattle in person despite his declining health.
Throughout his illness, Goldbach remained a model of grace, humor, authenticity, and profound dignity. He was unwavering in his commitment to his family and work and remained steadfastly engaged with both until his last day.
Goldbach is survived by his husband Evan, their children Ellias and Holland, as well as countless friends, colleagues, and mentees who feel his loss profoundly.
Memorial details will be shared with the Brown School community as they become available.