Advance with MUSC Health

LGBTQ+ Health Equity Summit

Chase Glenn
February 09, 2022
LGBTQ+ Health Equity Summit | Sponsored by MUSC Department of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

MUSC will host its inaugural LGBTQ+ Health Equity Summit April 7 and 8, 2022.

The event will be virtual and feature some of the country’s leading experts on health equity for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. It’s free and open to healthcare professionals, academics, researchers and any supporter of LGBTQ+ health.

The conference will feature two full days of interactive programming, including nationally recognized keynote speakers and breakout sessions on how we can provide the highest quality care for the LGBTQ+ community.

Topics will range from medical care, mental health and wellness to legal issues and family support and involving the LGBTQ+ population in clinical and basic research.

I am delighted by the early and enthusiastic response of participants and LGBTQ+ advocates. By hosting this conference, MUSC is emerging as a leader in treatment and care of the LGBTQ+ population and setting the stage for these important conversations to continue.

Although our primary audience is healthcare professionals, I encourage anyone who interacts with the LGBTQ+ community to join the sessions. We believe everyone will find them informative and helpful and gain greater understanding of the LGBTQ+ community not just in a medical setting, but generally, as well.

Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the first transgender official confirmed by the U.S. Senate, will be the opening keynote speaker.

Other nationally known speakers will include Dr. Ilan Meyer, senior scholar for public policy at the Williams Institute at UCLA, and Dr. Maya Green, chief medical officer at Howard Brown Health in Chicago.

Meyer is nationally recognized for his research on minority stress and its impact on the health outcomes of minority communities. Green specializes in providing healthcare to the underserved LGBTQ+ community in Chicago and speaks to audiences often about the intersection of race and LGBTQ+ identity.

We’re also pleased to include some of our own highly regarded experts on LGBTQ+ health.

Dr. Harsha Karanchi, an MUSC Health adult endocrinologist, and Dr. Deborah Bowlby, a pediatric endocrinologist, both of whom have a wealth of knowledge and experience in treating transgender patients, will bring a valuable perspective on understanding and caring for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Some may ask why we are hosting this conference. According to the Williams Institute, South Carolina is home to an estimated 137,000 LGBTQ+ adults 18 and over. Of that number, an estimated 21,000 are transgender adults. Additionally, 30,000-plus youth identify as LGBTQ+ in our state.

As the state’s only academic medical center, we at MUSC are bringing our values of creating and enhancing diversity and leading our state in a broader conversation about meeting the needs of people where they are.

I believe the education piece of the conversation is foundational, and my hope is that this conference will seed knowledge, understanding and interest locally and statewide around LGBTQ+ care.

That means giving people at MUSC and beyond the tools they need to provide quality care to this community and meet their needs, now and into the future.

Learn more about the conference.