As a researcher, his scholarship focuses on the areas of psychosocial, sociocultural, and structural factors associated with health outcomes for gay and bisexual men of color, systems of oppression on health outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities, and intersectional social identities for LGBTQ communities. Currently, Dr. Whitfield is studying the role of social and psychosocial factors on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among gay and bisexual men of color. He currently serves on the editorial board for the journal Prevention Science and Scholars for the HIV Prevention Trial Network.