RHO’s Cafe Scientifique: Bringing Health Research Out of the Closet: The Invisibility of LGBT People in Canadian Health Research
Have you ever wondered:
• Why don’t we have accurate info and research about LGBT health?
• How does this affect the health care we receive?
• What can we do to improve health care for LGBT people?
Currently there is a dearth of information about the health of LGBT populations in Ontario and Canada. This lack of information has created significant barriers for policy makers and health care providers who are trying to respond to the health needs of our communities. Canadian organizations have had to make many assumptions about the similarity of LGBT experiences, in relying on research data
from the U.S., Europe and Australia to determine priorities when developing their LGBT health programs. Canadian organizations that serve our communities must make decisions without reliable Ontario data, and often without any population based Canadian data at all.
RHO is convening a Café Scientifique to begin a conversation about these issues with our communities. We have assembled a skilled and knowledgeable panel to share their perspective on these issues and to engage in a discussion about how as a community we can take action on these issues. Bring your questions and ideas – there will be lots of opportunity for audience participation.
Who Should come?
• LGBT community members and allies
• Health researchers
• Health policy makers
• Anyone who is interested in LGBT health and issues related to health research.
Our panel of experts includes:
Dr. Greta Bauer is an assistant professor in Epidemiology & Biostatistics at The University of Western Ontario. She has extensive experience working in LGBT health research in the U.S. and Canada. Her current projects include the Trans PULSE Project and HiMMM: Health in Middlesex Men Matters. Greta is also a fabulous femme who lives with her wife in London, Ontario.
Dr. Clemon George is a founding member of the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario(ACCHO) and continues to contribute to the work of that community-based organization on an ad hoc basis. He was a co-PI with Dr. Winston Husbands, on a CIHR funded study with the goal of demystifying Black MSM in Toronto through understanding their behaviour, needs and concerns. He teaches community base research at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Clemon and his partner live with their two dogs (One Great Dane and Lab mix) in Toronto.
Dr. Ed Kucharski is a family physician at Sherbourne Health Centre. He attended medical school at the University of Ottawa and finished his residency training at the University of Toronto. His residency training was at a site within the Department of Family and Community Medicine that had many trans clients. He has been working with trans clients and their families, partners and friends for the past five years. He was a reviewer for Sherbourne Health Centre’s Trans Protocols and is currently the centre’s Medical Director. Ed is also the caption of Sherbourne health centre’s running club.
Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) D. Brown is the Assistant
Deputy Minister, Health System Strategy Division, for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (HPME), Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Joy Johnson is the Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health (IGH). The mission of IGH is to is to foster research excellence regarding the influence of gender and sex on the health of women and men throughout life, and to apply these research findings to identify and address pressing health challenges. Joy`s
academic appointment is with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Please RSVP to jkeystone@rainbowhealthontario.ca
