Friend of the Pop Center Debra Umberson recently published a piece on the Huffington Post which took apart Mark Regnerus’s recent study purporting to show that young adults with a parent who ever had a same-sex relationship turn out worse than young adults with continuously married heterosexual parents. Read her terrific response here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debra-umberson/texas-professors-gay-research_b_1628988.html

The Fenway Institute has issued two Policy Focus briefs highlighting the importance of gathering sexual orientation and gender identity data in clinical settings and to provide guidance to clinicians to gather such data. Why gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings explains how gathering such data will help us understand lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) health disparities, and how it is consistent with key recommendations in Healthy People 2020, the 2011 Institute of Medicine report on LGBT health issues and research gaps, and the Affordable Care Act. Gathering such data in electronic health records (EHRs) is especially important.

How to gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings provides guidance on how to ask questions on patient registration form and how clinicians can ask questions during medical visits. This second brief addresses concerns about confidentiality with EHRs and other potential barriers to collecting data on LGBT identity.

PDFs of the briefs are available online:

• Why gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings www.fenwayhealth.org/whygather
• How to gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings www.fenwayhealth.org/howgather

This month, The Fenway Institute issues two Policy Focus briefs to highlight the importance of gathering sexual orientation and gender identity data in clinical settings. Why gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings (PDF) explains how gathering such data will help us understand LGBT health disparities, and how it is consistent with key recommendations in Healthy People 2020, the 2011 Institute of Medicine report on LGBT health issues and research gaps, and the Affordable Care Act. Gathering such data in electronic health records (EHRs) is especially important.

How to gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings (PDF) provides guidance on how to ask questions on patient registration forms and how clinicians can ask questions during medical visits. This second brief addresses concerns about confidentiality with EHRs and other potential barriers to collecting data on LGBT identity.

The briefs were authored by Sean Cahill, Director of Health Policy Research, along with Judith Bradford, Co-chair and Director of the Center for Population Research in LGBT Health; Chris Grasso, Data Manager; and Harvey Makadon, Director of the National LGBT Health Education Center. They will be disseminated to health education professionals, professional associations, policy makers and other priority audiences.

Several Pop Center current and former trainees will be presenting on LGBT health topics at the 2011 American Public Health Association meetings. See below for details. Congrats to all the trainees! Continue reading →

The Institute of Medicine’s recent report, “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding” is now available for free download. The IOM also provides brief summaries, audio, and the opportunity to purchase a hard copy of the report here.

We welcome new Pop Center faculty Kellan Baker, Kerith Conron, Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, Jennifer Mitty, and Stewart Landers. Continue reading →

Center Director Judith Bradford recently blogged at the Huffington Post about the Institute of Medicine’s ground-breaking report “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding” released on March 31, 2011. Dr. Bradford was one of 17 members who sat on the IOM Committee tasked with writing the report. Several other scientists affiliated with the Center for Population Research in LGBT Health sat on the committee, including: Walter Bockting, Brian de Vries, Robert Garofalo, Harvey Makadon, Charlotte Patterson and Mark Schuster.

We’ll be hosting the 2011 Summer Institute in LGBT Population Health in Boston, Massachusetts from July 18-August 12. Apply to join us for a month of hands-on learning in our data analysis course, our seminar in LGBT health and social life, and our data lab. Work on your own independent data analysis project towards the publication of an empirical research paper. You’re eligible to apply if you are a current doctoral or Masters student or a recent postdoc and applications are due April 18, 2011. Click here for more information!

The recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Leading Health Indicators Report has developed and recommended a set of 12 leading health indicators and 24 related objectives for Healthy People 2020 (HP2020). The objectives recommended were selected from drawn from across the many existing HP2020 topic areas (N=42) and objectives (N=1,412 and growing). See the HP2020 website for a list of all topic areas and the objectives that have been developed for most of the areas. Continue reading →