LGBTQIA+ Health Resources Webinar Series

The session will describe the health disparities evidenced in sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and address drivers of these disparities using a biopsychosocial framing. The experiences of SGM individuals with healthcare will also be examined. Concrete approaches for addressing the shortcomings within the healthcare system to fully address the wellbeing of SGM individuals will be provided. Examples and strategies for working with members of the population will be drawn from my own research and those of other scholars.

Presented by: 

• Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH Dean and Professor of Biostatistics and Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health Director, Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) Founding Editor in Chief, Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health

This workshop will include three components aimed at equipping nurses to provide more affirming care for Black LGBTQ patients: educational, discussion, and application. Specifically, the workshop will start with an overview of research about health risk and resilience factors among Black LGBTQ people. It will then move to a discussion of nurses’ experiences with Black LGBTQ people and how they have addressed risk and resilience in their clinical care with them. Finally, participants will have an opportunity to brainstorm concrete ways to use resilience to positively impact the patient-provider relationship and treatment/prevention outcomes. All participants will be provided with handouts of the information presented in the workshop and given the opportunity to ask questions.

Presented by: 

• Jonathan Lassiter, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rowan University

Research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth are at heightened risk for a range of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. While we often think of these outcomes in terms of health and well-being, they are also related to the human rights of LGBT youth. Using a human rights framework highlights some of the persistent challenges that LGBT youth face around the United States, and helps us better understand how things like bullying, discrimination, access to information, family rejection, and housing insecurity are also health issues, often with lasting repercussions throughout the lifespan. The presentation draws from quantitative and qualitative research on health and human rights to identify ways that practitioners can be supportive to improve the health and well-being of LGBT youth, as well as recent developments in the legal landscape that affect access to affirming care.

Presented by:

• Ryan Thoreson, DPhil, JD, Researcher in the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch

In this webinar, Adrian Shanker, editor of Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and executive director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, will moderate a panel discussion of three healthcare consumers focused on the experiences of LGBTQ+ women in healthcare. Bodies and Barriers was named by Book Riot as one of eleven books that address the bias against women in healthcare and medicine, and this presentation will feature three contributing authors who share their stories and experiences navigating care, accessing health information and resources, and with the social determinants of health - including housing.

Presented by:

• Kathleen Carrick, PhD, MSW, Social Worker, Activist, and Educator in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Core Faculty of the LGBT Health Policy & Practice Graduate Certificate Program, George Washington University
• Katharine Dalke, MD, MBE, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Penn State, Attending Psychiatrist at Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, and Director of the Office for Culturally Responsive Education at the Penn State College of Medicine
• Adrian Shanker, Editor of Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and Executive Director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
• Imani Woody, PhD, Founding Director and CEO of Mary’s House for Older Adults, Inc

Mainstream healthcare and elder service providers have limited knowledge of the psychosocial, cultural, and economic issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer older adults and caregivers. This presentation introduces participants to the unique issues facing this frequently invisible and underserved population and provides models for programmatic initiatives, as well as practice skills for enhancing professional capacity to effectively serve LGBTQ+ older adults and caregivers.

Presented by:

• Lisa Krinsky, MSW, LICSW, is the Director of the LGBT Aging Project, a program of The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health in Boston. She is a social worker with thirty years of experience in community-based elder services and has been an active member of the LGBT Aging Project since its inception in 2001. She frequently consults with mainstream aging service providers about cultural competency with LGBTQ+ older adults and also presents nationally on policy and practice issues facing LGBTQ+ older adults and caregivers. Lisa is a founding member of the Massachusetts Special Legislative Commission on LGBT Aging.

  She earned her MSW in Clinical Social Work from Simmons School of Social Work and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Boston University’s School of Management. Lisa received the Beverly Ross Fliegel Social Policy Award from the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW in 2013 and the Simmons School of Social Work Alumni Association’s Distinguished Career Award in 2017. Lisa is a board member of LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc., developing New England’s first LGBTQ friendly senior housing in Boston, and a Commissioner of the Arlington (MA) LGBTQIA+ Rainbow Commission.