The University of Chicago has announced "Your Voice! Your Health!," a new research study focusing on the health-care experiences of LGBT people of color.
Marshall Chin, MD, MPH, is the principal investigator.
Those interested in learning more about the project are invited to attend one of four community launch events across the city, all of which are open to the public:
—Tuesday, Aug. 18, 6-7:30 p.m., Brown Elephant Resale Store (of Howard Brown Health Center), 3020 N. Lincoln Ave.;
—Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6-7:30 p.m., TaskForce Prevention & Community Services, 9 N. Cicero Ave.;
—Tuesday, Sept. 1, 6-7:30 p.m., South Side Help Center, 10420 S. Halsted St.; and
—Wed., Sept. 2, 10 a.m.—12 p.m., Esperanza Health Centers, 2001 S. California Ave.
Any community organizations or healthcare centers that wish to learn more about participating in the study should call 773-442-2591 or email ResearchStudy@mortengroup.com .
Press release
The University of Chicago is proud to announce "Your Voice! Your Health!" a new research study focusing on the healthcare experiences of LGB/T people of color. Marshall Chin, MD, MPH, serves as principal investigator.
Those interested in learning more about the project are invited to attend one of four community launch events across the city, all of which are open to the public:
- Tuesday, August 18, 6-7:30 pm, Brown Elephant Resale Store ( of Howard Brown Health Center ), 3020 N. Lincoln Ave.
- Tuesday, August 25, 6-7:30 pm, TaskForce Prevention & Community Services, 9 N. Cicero Ave.
- Tuesday, September 1, 6-7:30 pm, South Side Help Center, 10420 S. Halsted St.
- Wednesday, September 2, 10 am — 12 pm, Esperanza Health Centers, 2001 S. California Ave. Shared decision making, or SDM, is a collaborative process that enables healthcare providers and patients to make informed healthcare decisions together.
The study contains three phases: 1 ) Review, 2 ) Research, and 3 ) Tool Development.
1 ) Review: A systematic review of key issues in SDM among LGB/T minority populations is under way.
2 ) Research: The team will conduct research, seeking input and feedback on desired shared decision making goals from diverse stakeholders ( including patients, clinicians, organizations, community groups, and health care delivery systems ) representing LGB/T minority populations.
3 ) Tool Development: The project will develop tools to help stakeholders implement and evaluate SDM interventions in LGB/T minority populations.
"Our team's initial review of the literature showed that shared decision making improves a variety of clinical outcomes, but very little research has been done on this topic with LGB/T people of color," stated Dr. Chin. "This study aims to address that need and improve the health of LGB/T minority populations."
Nine qualitative projects will take place under the umbrella of the research phase, focused on the following topics: 1 ) intimate partner violence, 2 ) gender transition and primary care in transgender persons, 3 ) older adult/surrogate decision maker issues, 4 ) obesity/metabolic syndrome, 5 ) mental health, 6 ) diabetes, 7 ) hepatitis C care and treatment, 8 ) anal cancer screening, and 9 ) HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis ( PrEP ).
The study is made possible by a 3-year U18 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ( AHRQ ). Dr. Chin's co-investigators will lead qualitative research projects in each of the nine areas above in collaboration with expert external consultants. More information about the research team can be found at chicagodiabetesresearch.org/research/lgbtq-sdm/ .
For outreach, recruitment, and town hall meetings, the University of Chicago has retained Morten Group LLC, a Chicago-based consulting firm led by Mary Morten, Principal. Mary and the Morten Group team collectively have over two decades of experience in community-based work within the Chicagoland area LGB/T community. In 2011, the Morten Group conducted the LGB/T Community Needs Assessment for The LGB/T Community Fund at The Chicago Community Trust, a project which involved thousands of participants.
"Morten Group is excited to return to the world of investigative research after our experience with the LGB/T Community Needs Assessment, especially after healthcare emerged as the number one community concern in that study," said Morten. "The Chicagoland LGB/T community is our community, and we look forward to recruiting participants and conducting outreach to connect the research team with organizations and individuals from this community." Any community organizations or healthcare centers that wish to learn more about participating in the study should contact Morten Group at ( 773 ) 442-2591 or ResearchStudy@mortengroup.com .
Individuals need not be connected with an organization in order to participate. Individuals who meet the following criteria may be eligible to participate in interviews or focus groups:
- Those who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual
- Those who identify as transgender
- Those who identify as women and have partners who are women
- Those who identify as men and have partners who are men
- People who identify with the above identities and also identify as African American, Asian
American & Pacific Islanders, or Latino Participants will be offered a $40 stipend for completing individual interviews and focus groups as a token of appreciation for their time. Focus groups will also include light refreshments. Any individuals interested in participating should contact Morten Group at ( 773 ) 442-2591 or ResearchStudy@mortengroup.com .
When the research phase of the project concludes, the team will take the information learned and use it to develop tools to improve communication between patients and healthcare providers and share findings with Chicago LGB/T communities.
"The more participation we receive from the community, the better prepared we will be to create communication tools that can best engage and empower that same community in healthcare settings," added Morten.
