The University of Toronto (U of T) is paving the way for LGBTQ+ health by expanding its curriculum for medical residents.
A team of researchers in U of T’s postgraduate medical education department have developed an LGBTQ+-focused health curriculum that aims to provide a broader understanding of LGBTQ+ inequalities in health care.
The new curriculum will include a workshop for U of T’s second-year residents, focusing on expanding participants’ knowledge of topics such as hormone therapy and sexually transmitted infections.
Dr. James Owen, the former LGBTQ+ lead for U of T’s LGBTQ+ curriculum, is proud of the school’s work to raise the education level on LGBTQ+ health issues.
“I think we’re all at a point in our society and in our culture where we’re understanding that equity and inclusion needs to be a priority,” Owen said.
The updated curriculum covers cross-sex hormone therapy for transgender and nonbinary individuals and transitional medical practices, including those covered and not covered by Ontario’s public health insurance plan (OHIP).
A clinical session on discussing sexuality and gender sensitivity is also a part of the curriculum. This practice is explored further in the new postgraduate workshop, which has been attended by over 80 residents to date according to the workshops instructor, Dr. Tehmina Ahmad.
Dr. Tehmina Ahmad is a resident physician at U of T and identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She aids in running the new LGBTQ2S+ workshop at the postgraduate level for resident physicians in internal medicine.
“As queer doctors and researchers, we felt that not only is visibility important, but developing and contributing towards rewriting our medical education to include queer bodies is an absolute must,” Ahmad said.
The instructors say they hope to gain feedback from their workshop and further develop the materials to share with other universities.
“U of T is setting an example for other medical schools, where we are saying this is a priority, and we’re putting money behind it,” Owen said.
U of T was the first medical school in Canada to have a funded LGBTQ+ education lead position, a position which Owen formerly held. With the money provided, a committee was assembled to assess areas of opportunity to expand the curriculum on LGBTQ+ health issues.
In 2015, the university introduced a unique curriculum to its medical school, integrating LGBTQ+ health issues into the pre-existing curriculum, instead of dividing lessons into separate topics, as many other schools have done.
Most medical schools in North America have limited content and average only four hours of course time discussing LGBTQ+ topics throughout all of medical school, according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
“This isn’t just a topic you can learn about for an hour or a half-day and forget about it in the rest of the curriculum,” Owen said.
Owen says he and his colleagues see this updated curriculum as a milestone for LGBTQ+ health, but that it must continue to advance and be improved in order for members of the LGBTQ+ community to secure the quality of medical services they need and deserve.
Featured image by Jaya Budhia
