Brown University students create LGBTQ-focused extracurricular studies

As part of a new program, students at Providence, R.I.-based Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School can now take additional studies in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer healthcare and advocacy, according to The Brown Daily Herald.

Through the program, dubbed the LGBTQ Health Care and Advocacy concentration, students can take additional courses to help develop "sensitivity to the social, political and cultural context" relating to healthcare in the LGBTQ community, according to the report.

The program was created by two undergraduate students at Brown — Morgan Cheatham and Noah Lupica, both of whom are in the Program in Liberal Medical Education. They came up with the idea for the program in 2013. Ms. Cheatham was in a medical class that highlighted why the "medical system really isn't designed for people who are not your typical heterosexual, cisgender patient."

After talking with Brown medical students, Ms. Cheatham determined many of them did not feel adequately equipped to treat LGBTQ patients. "I felt this was something that should be shared with the medical school administration," Ms. Cheatham said. "They were completely shocked and eager to support whatever I thought was necessary moving forward."

The concentration "is applicable to the care of everyone," according to Kelly McGarry, MD, associate professor of medicine at Brown and one of the directors of the program. "Even though students are developing an area of interest, it's not siloed in any way. The students will become amazing communicators and more sensitive physicians."

Moving forward, Ms. Cheatham and Mr. Lupica hope to improve the program's visibility and use it to attract more medical students to Brown.

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