Studying and Promoting LGBT Health

 

 

Last week, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released an important new report about the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The 276-page report, The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding, is the result of an 18-month study by a panel of experts commissioned by the IOM at the request of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH asked the panel to evaluate current knowledge of the health status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations; to identify research gaps and opportunities; and to outline a research agenda to help NIH focus its research in this area. The report provides a thorough compilation of what is known about the health of each of these groups at different stages of life and outlines an agenda for the research and data collection necessary to form a fuller understanding. The report addresses the continuing disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS in this population.

 

 

 

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, thanked the IOM for the report, observing, “This report is an important step in identifying research gaps and opportunities, as part of an overall effort to understand and address the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. We look forward to continuing our work to address these needs and reduce LGBT health disparities.”

View the report, read a brief about it, or listen to audio from the report release online .

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on LGBT health issues, consult these resources:

• CDC’s website about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health
• National Library of Medicine’s Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Health information page.
• Review the Actions to Improve the Health and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities undertaken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Read what the nation’s 10-year health promotion and disease prevention agenda, Healthy People 2020, has to say about LGBT health, a topic area incorporated for the first time last year.

By Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director