National advisors form first-ever LGBT issues committee

The National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM) -- advisors to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine -- has formed the groundbreaking Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues and Research Gaps and Opportunities.

On Feb. 1, Dr. Jason Schneider, immediate past president of the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), presented testimony before the Committee in Washington, D.C., asking that the IOM "not shy away from strong recommendations related to politically charged issues. Legal recognition of same-sex relationships and marriages, non-discrimination in employment, and same-sex parenting and families are topics that, while polarizing, directly affect the health and wellness of LGBT people. These issues are deserving of special focus as research gaps and opportunities."

Two Fenway Institute researchers have been appointed to the Committee, and will join 14 others from across the country in assessing existing science on the health of the LGBT community; identifying research gaps and opportunities; and outlining a research agenda that will be utilized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as the U.S. Census and other federal agencies. Judith B. Bradford, PhD., is the director of Population Research in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health at the Fenway Institute. She co-chairs the Institute alongside Kenneth M. Mayer, MD, and has worked to expand Fenway Health's sexual and gender minority health research program since 2001. Harvey J. Makadon, MD, is a clinical professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Education and Training at the Fenway Institute. He is lead editor of "The Fenway Guide to LGBT Health," published by the American College of Physicians in 2007.

The Institute of Medicine conducted a study of lesbian health toward the end of the Clinton administration that was crucial in developing this area of research science. The formation of the Committee indicates a more extensive and broadening interest in research regarding LGBT health.

Makadon, Bradford, and their fellow researchers will work to assess the current state of knowledge with regard to LGBT health, health risks, protective factors, health disparities, and healthcare access. Also of interest to the Committee will be violence against the LGBT community.

"It was an honor to be present in a room surrounded by many leaders in the LGBT research community," Dr. Schneider said after delivering his testimony in D.C. "[Feb. 1] was a truly historic event that will yield tangible results and have a direct impact on the health of our community." The GLMA plans to continue to assist and participate in activities planned by the Committee.