
GREAT NEWS!
Our R25 Application for the implementation of the SGM Cancer CARE curriculum earned a perfect score by the NIH Review Committee. Revisit this site soon for updates on upcoming workshops in 2023!
Background: A health workforce trained to conduct Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM)-inclusive cancer research is needed to meet the needs of SGM persons seeking comprehensive cancer care, including prevention, screening, treatment, and survivorship care. Research has described many SGM cancer disparities, and a growing number of studies of SGM individuals have documented increased exposure to cancer-risk factors and certain cancers, as well as poorer cancer outcomes. Yet SGM patients are extremely diverse, presenting with unique and varied care needs.Although the body of research focused on SGM groups continues to grow, gaps persist in the knowledge of specific SGM cancer risk factors and cancer treatment experiences that is critical for developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in oncology care across the cancer care continuum – from prevention to survivorship.
Mission and Values: In order to strengthen the evidence base for high quality and culturally competent care, the mission of SGM Cancer CARE is to nurture and prepare the workforce conducting research relevant to SGM groups across the cancer continuum from prevention through survivorship.
By providing sexual and gender minority-specific methodological and culturally competent training to population and clinical science researchers interested in conducting SGM and cancer research, we hope to reduce cancer disparities for SGM individuals and communities.
We do this through:
- Training early career researchers on critical issues in SGM cancer care & research;
- Orienting workshop participants to key research methods;
- Highlighting key analytic frameworks (e.g., intersectionality, social determinants of health); and
- Facilitating access to a network of like-minded professionals for collaboration on innovative research projects.
SGM Community: SGM populations encompass several partially overlapping groups.
- Individuals whose sexual orientation—as typically conceptualized in terms of sexual attraction, behavior, and/or sexual identity—is not exclusively heterosexual. This group includes people who label themselves (or are labeled) as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, as well as people who do not adopt such labels but nevertheless experience same-sex or same-gender attractions or behaviors.
- Individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex originally assigned to them at birth; whose gender expression varies significantly from what is traditionally associated with or typical for that group; and/or who vary from or reject traditional cultural conceptualizations of gender in terms of male-female dichotomy. This group includes people who label themselves (or are labeled) as transgender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, gender fluid, and/or two-spirit.
- Individuals who are born with external and/or internal genitalia that vary from typical male or female genitalia, or a chromosomal pattern that varies from XX (female) or XY (male). This group includes people who label themselves (or are labeled) as intersex and/or those who have been diagnosed with Disorders of Sexual Development [DSD].
Read our publication, “Addressing Cancer Disparities in SGM Populations: Recommendations for a National Action Plan to Increase SGM Health Equity Through Researcher and Provider Training and Education.“
Click Here for Information about our April 2021 Workshop
Click Here for information about the SGM Cancer CARE Team
Contact sgmcancercare@gmail.com if you have any questions about this workshop
Special Issue: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Advancing Health Equity in Sexual and Gender Minority Cancer Care
Annals of LGBTQ Public & Population Heath
Volume 2, Issues 3/4 (Publication Fall, 2021)
Perry N Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH, Founding Editor in Chief
Guest Editors:
Shine Chang, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,
Miria Kano, PhD, University of New Mexico & University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Nelson F. Sanchez, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center & Weill Cornell Medicine
Irene Tami-Maury, DMD, MSc, DrPH, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Since the turn of the century, focused initiatives to improve clinical care, research, and education have led to slow, yet meaningful improvements in SGM cancer care. Research on cancer screening tests for SGM patients, evidence-based interventions for cancer prevention, inclusion of SGM patients in health care delivery (in some cancer care settings), and health campaigns educating SGM communities about the cancer risks posed by high-risk behaviors have begun to take root. Novel partnerships between researchers, clinicians and communities have provided scaffolding for important, though often underfunded studies. Yet, cohesive, multilevel solutions are yet to be realized, and gaps persist in the administrative support, research and clinical training, and federal funding necessary to catalyze SGM cancer research that can truly lead to health equity.
This special issue will focus on what the scientific community needs to do to build capacity, improve policy, and sustain innovative interventions in SGM cancer clinical care, research, and education across the cancer continuum from prevention to survivorship. Rather than research- or results-based reports, this issue will focus on manuscripts that describe strategies and policies that address current gaps in SGM cancer clinical care, education, leadership, and research. We seek submissions that are paradigm-shifting in content and scope. We welcome submissions from early-career researchers.
Suggested manuscript topics:
- Increasing the SGM cancer health workforce and organizations engaged in SGM research and care, such as researchers, clinicians, educators, institutional leadership, and funding agencies;
- Increasing SGM inclusion in cancer care and research across the cancer continuum, including strategies for SGM patient recruitment in cancer research (both community-based and clinical trials), SGM community access to tailored and culturally appropriate cancer education, clinician access to accredited SGM cancer education, engaging professional membership societies in SGM cancer care and research, inclusion of SGM topics in unconscious bias training for health professionals
- Improving sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection for cancer care and research, including examples of successful strategies and suggested guidelines used at clinics, hospitals, community organizations, national cancer centers, and national registries
- New methodological approaches for SGM cancer research, includingcreating andvalidating quality of life measures for SGM cancer care, developing new measures and instruments that assess SGM patients’ attitudes and needs prior to and during cancer care, developing measures that assess SGM cancer survivors’ needs, resilience, and coping skills engaged during receipt of cancer care
- Disruptive technology, innovations, and thinking to expand the cancer research foundation for evidence-based SGM care across the cancer continuum, including examples of e-health and m-health innovations, new policies and enforcement procedures for SOGI data collection;
- And any other areas that you think need to be addressed in SGM cancer care from prevention through survivorship (e.g., dedicated membership organization, integration with existing professional organizations, better communication).
If you would like to have an article considered for this special issue, please complete the attached letter of intent (LOI) form as a PDF and return via email by 5PM EST July 30, 2020 to lgbtqpubandpophealth@gmail.com with the subject of ‘Annals LGBTQ: Special Issue on Cancer Care.’
All LOIs received by the deadline will be reviewed and decisions will be made by September 1, 2020.
Articles selected for publication must be submitted by 5PM EST January 15, 2021.
Please submit the LOI form below (PAGE 3) as a PDF attachment. LOIs submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Special Issue:
Advancing Health Equity in Sexual and Gender Minority Cancer Care
Tentative title of article:
Authors:
Detailed Description of the Manuscript (500 words):