Morehouse School of Medicine Works to Improve Healthcare for LGBT Community

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Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) has entered a partnership with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to create a new set of resources that work to improve health care options available to individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), gender nonconforming or born with differences of sexual development (DSD).

With disparities in health care geared towards LGBT, DSD and gender nonconforming individuals that range from feeling unwelcomed in doctor’s offices to experiencing outright discrimination and mistreatment, individuals of these populations often suffer from poorer physical and emotional health. In an effort to address these issues, MSM and AAMC have released a set of guidelines for training physicians to properly care for members of these communities, and a report on how to apply these guidelines in medical school. In January 2015, a professional development video series will also be released to further push for equal health care opportunities for all individuals.

“Addressing health disparities in LGBT populations fits well with Morehouse School of Medicine’s tradition of serving the underserved,” said Carey Roth Bayer, Ed.D., R.N., C.S.E., Associate Professor of Community Health and Preventive Medicine/Medical Education at Morehouse School of Medicine.

The resource guidelines will identify 30 competencies that physicians must master, with Professor Bayer, who wrote and edited several sections of the report, appearing in the professional development videos alongside a few MSM students.

“The new AAMC competencies, resource guide and video series on LGBT, gender nonconforming and DSD patient health are important for training future physicians to care for all patients in a culturally competent manner,” said MSM’s President and Dean Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D. “I am proud of the leadership of Morehouse School of Medicine faculty, students and alumni in the development of these ground breaking resources.”

SOURCE: MSM.edu