An international leader in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will visit the University of Alabama at Birmingham to discuss LGBT medical issues with students, faculty and staff.
Members of the LGBT community are at increased risk for several health threats, and differences in sexual behavior — along with issues such as stigma and discrimination — contribute to that risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Harvey Makadon, M.D., director of the National LGBT Health Education Center at the Fenway Institute, a division of Fenway Health, Boston, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, teaches about how to improve access to quality care for LGBT people in health care settings around the country and directs an HRSA-funded cooperative agreement to improve cultural competence in LGBT health in community health centers.
Makadon will present “Meeting the Health-care Needs of LGBT People: The End of LGBT Invisibility” at UAB Medical Grand Rounds at noon Wednesday, March 11, in the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium, 619 19th St. South.
“Dr. Makadon’s visit is in line with the culture of the Department of Medicine,” said Nicholas Van Wagoner, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases and event organizer. “It recognizes our commitment to providing inclusive and affirming care to all of our patients.”
Makadon will also meet with various UAB representatives to help identify opportunities to improve LGBT cultural competence and better serve UAB patients, students and staff. As well, he will meet with community health leaders to discuss similar opportunities throughout Alabama.