Introducing the
LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence
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This newsletter will serve as your go-to source about the cutting-edge research, events, and opportunities happening at the LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence, a partnership between Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.
We’re writing the script on addressing the root causes of LGBTQ health inequities, with a three-pronged, innovative approach. We’re training the next generation of LGBTQ health leaders, conducting research to expand the evidence base on LGBTQ health, and communicating with policy makers, healthcare providers, and the public about how to improve LGBTQ health.
Under the leadership of Founding Director Dr. Brittany Charlton, the Center includes more than a dozen faculty and two dozen fellows, graduate students, and staff. An impressive array of leaders from within and outside Harvard serve on the Center’s academic councils.
Our launch comes at a time of unprecedented legal threats: in 2024 alone, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced into state legislatures. Join us in seizing this challenging moment to demand and drive lasting change.
We kicked off our first year with several initiatives including:
- Awarding scholarships for tuition and practicums to students focused on LGBTQ health
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Awarding pilot grants for LGBTQ health research
- Launching a fellowship that trains public health leaders about engaging the public on LGBTQ health issues via op-eds, social media content, and more
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The Center celebrated its official launch in June with several hundred attendees at a family-friendly event. Featured speakers included Harvard Chan School Dean Dr. Andrea Baccarelli and NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office Director Dr. Karen Parker.
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At the Center’s inaugural event, journalist Erin Reed joined a member of our Center’s Alumni Council, Ivan Hsiao, for a dynamic Q&A on engaging the public on LGBTQ health. They dug into combatting mis- and- disinformation, using science communication to drive policy and public discourse.
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“The community needs more than parades and rainbow flags,” Dr. Brittany Charlton wrote in a Boston Globe op-ed about addressing health inequities among LGBTQ people. She continued to highlight how discrimination impacts LGBTQ health through a process called “minority stress.” “The thesis is simple and intuitive: Stress caused by experiencing bias, rejection, hostility, and marginalization takes a toll on the body and mind. The data bear that out,” she said.
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Axios highlighted research from Center-affiliated faculty Drs. Julia Marcus and Doug Krakower on over-the-counter PrEP for HIV prevention. "PrEP is 99% effective or more in preventing HIV. It's safe, and it's low or no cost for nearly everyone," said Dr. Marcus. "At this point, we have no more excuses for why we are not ending new HIV infections in this country." This research builds on the work to make birth control available over-the-counter.
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CNN featured one of the Center's postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Landon Hughes, fact-checking Donald Trump’s claims that children receive gender-affirming surgeries at school. Dr. Hughes said: “There are no instances of children receiving surgeries…No provider in the US would perform surgery on a minor under the direction of a school, let alone without parental consent." The article cited research by the Center showing gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors are exceedingly rare and usually performed on cisgender boys.
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New Research from the Center
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Contrary to narratives used to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth, surgical interventions in minors are exceedingly rare—and nearly all are performed on cisgender boys. In fact, cisgender boys obtained 97% of breast reductions performed on minors.
Read more in JAMA Open Network
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer women are more likely than heterosexuals to have certain pregnancy complications including preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.
Read more in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer women are more likely to access prenatal care when they live in states with protective policies such as hate crimes and housing discrimination.
Read more in Annals of Behavioral Medicine
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Dr. Charlton received the Diverse and Inclusive Award from the Society of Epidemiologic Research. In her acceptance speech, she spoke of how just 1% of NIH-funded research focuses on LGBTQ health, despite more than 22% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ, according to Gallup.
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“This underinvestment is striking because our health is not worse due to some underlying biological reason, but solely due to stress and discrimination—something that’s entirely preventable.” |
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