Mission | Faculty and Staff | News | GayData.org
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face health disparities, like many other populations that experience discrimination and marginalization. Issues that need to be addressed concerning LGBT public health include, but are not limited to: 1) delivering effective culturally-appropriate health care services; 2) understanding patterns of risk factors for diseases; 3) designing intervention and prevention strategies; and 4) designing better research methods to investigate these issues.
The Drexel University Program for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health aims to address these concerns through research and evaluation, education and training, partnering with health and social service providers, and public health policy and advocacy. Located in the School of Public Health, the Program uses the expertise of professionals from multiple disciplines from within and outside the University. The Program is committed to developing a comprehensive approach to public health issues affecting members of LGBT communities.
The Program represents one of a handful of major academic efforts to specifically address the complex issues confronting the health disparities and health seeking behaviors of LGBT people. Leading U.S. health organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychological Association, as well as Federal, state, and local health agencies, have all highlighted the need to increase attention to the health needs of LGBT people. The Program has been launched in response to the growing recognition of the public health disparities, as well as vulnerabilities, created by the gap in our understanding of LGBT health and the resultant demand for relevant high-quality research, training, service and public health policy.