Background and Mission

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.