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Fear of being stigmatized by health care professionals is barrier for many patients who are members of the LGBT community.  It’s one of the most reported reasons transgender individuals do not go to the doctor – fear of discrimination. Kale Edmiston and Lauren Mitchell, Ph.D. candidates at Vanderbilt, want to change that. In January the pair, along with a dedicated group of volunteers will begin serving as advocates for a pilot program called Trans Buddy.

Fear of being stigmatized by health care professionals is a barrier for many patients who are members of the LGBT community — it’s one of the most-reported reasons transgender individuals do not go to the doctor. Kale Edmiston and Lauren Mitchell, Ph.D. candidates at Vanderbilt, want to change that. In January the pair, along with a dedicated group of volunteers, will begin serving as advocates for a pilot program called Trans Buddy.

JAMA. 2015;313(1):15-17. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.17243.   The family medicine physician listened attentively as 19-year-old Kristen Eckstrand described the reason for her visit. “I was going through a period of major depression, so over winter break I went in to see the doctor to get some help with that,” Eckstrand recalls a dozen years later. “I was trying to explain to my doctor everything that was going on in my life.”

Vanderbilt Program for lgbtq Health 319 Light Hall Nashville, TN, 37232 lgbtq.health@vanderbilt.edu INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: Summer 2015   The Vanderbilt Program for lgbtq Health strives to promote national leadership in providing excellent patient care, education, research, and advocacy for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex communities.   

People who want genital reconstructions as part of their transition are asked for not one, but two mental-health referrals. Doctors are now questioning whether that requirement is ethical.

A 49-year-old patient is brought to the emergency room after sustaining a broken femur during a motor vehicle accident. The patient gives the name “Jennifer,” but hospital staff find a driver’s license with the name “David” and sex identified as male. The patient is stable and cognitively intact. The medical staff appear confused, as the patient physically appears female but is observed to have male genitalia on exam.

The Trans Buddy Program’s goal is to increase access to care and improve healthcare outcomes for transgender people by providing emotional support to transgender patients during healthcare visits. We emphasize a patient-centered  approach, with the goal of empowering the patient to make informed healthcare decisions. Trans Buddy recognizes the importance of intersectionality to our direct care practice, and we therefore aim to work with people of all identities with compassion and respect.

The holidays can be a stressful time for LGBT people or families with LGBT members, but there are several strategies that you can use to help reduce stress and create a happy holiday this year. Learn more about these helpful tips and strategies for the holidays.