Advancing LGBTQ health equity through epidemiology
Department of Epidemiology Seminar Series
Speaker:
Brittany Charlton, MSc, ScD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgram Health Care Insititute, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Abstract: One in ten people in the U.S. are LGBTQ and this population will grow as that number is twice as high among young people. LGBTQ people experience widespread discrimination, resulting in adverse physical and mental health. In the first half of this year alone, more than 500 discriminatory anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. As just two examples, these bills ban access to life-saving healthcare for transgender individuals and criminalize teachers for discussing the existence of LGBTQ people. Public health and medical professionals have critical roles in addressing the health crises facing LGBTQ communities. Yet, the field is not preparing future leaders with the necessary skills. Therefore, we need to create an infrastructure for this training, expand the research evidence base, and communicate with the public about how to advance LGBTQ health equity.
Bio: Dr. Brittany Charlton is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is the Founding Director of the LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence—a partnership of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. Dr. Charlton is known as a leading scholar of sexual and gender minority health inequities, particularly in cancer and reproductive health.