This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.

The overarching objectives of the modules are to provide the tools you will need to incorporate best practices in sexual and gender minority health education into your courses and clerkships, and to empower you to serve as an ambassador for sexual and gender minority health equity. You are key to this journey, which would not be possible without you. We honor the creativity you will bring to enhancing sexual and gender minority health education. We hope you will enjoy incorporating new materials and methods into your teaching and medical education leadership. And most important of all, we celebrate the fact that your actions will set a new standard for evidence-based affirming care for sexual and gender minority people.

Lead author: Jennifer Potter, MD

Potter J. “Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity Initiative Introduction” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022. 

This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.

This module will provide you with basic concepts and terminology that you need to know to start or expand teaching sexual and gender minority health content in your course or clerkship. By the completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Define and describe the differences between: sex and gender; gender identity and gender expression; gender diversity and gender dysphoria; the three sexual orientation dimensions of identity, attraction, and behavior.

Lead author: Sabra Katz-Wise, PhD

Katz-Wise SL. “Sexual and Gender Minority Terms and Concepts” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022.

This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.

In this module, you will learn about sexual and gender minority health inequities. Health inequities are differences in health status or in the distribution of health resources between different population groups, arising from the social conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Understanding and being sensitive to these inequities and how they impact an individual’s full picture of health will make you a better teacher and practitioner. By the completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Define and describe specific health inequities related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex development;
2. Define and describe how specific health inequities intersect with health experiences related to: race/ethnicity, gender, age, ability, education, economic status, immigration status, and other social positions.

Lead author: Sabra Katz-Wise, PhD

Katz-Wise SL. “Sexual and Gender Minority Health Inequities” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022. 

This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.

In this module, we will describe how implicit bias and power imbalances across medical education and clinical settings are key factors influencing the quality of medical education experiences for students, as well as clinical care experiences for patients. By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Recognize how implicit bias and assumptions about sexual and gender minority people may negatively affect educational outcomes for students and healthcare outcomes for patients
2. Recognize how inherent power imbalances (between faculty-student and physician-patient) may negatively affect educational outcomes for students and healthcare outcomes for patients;
3. Develop strategies to mitigate potential adverse effects of implicit biases and inherent power imbalances.

The skills and strategies we present in this module are intended to support all medical educators and clinicians in offering more effective teaching and patient care related to sexual and gender minority communities.

Lead author: Alex S. Keuroghlian, MD, MPH

Keuroghlian AS. “Implicit Bias and Power Imbalances” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022. 

This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.

In this module, we’ll walk you through how to develop sensitive and affirming communication skills, which are essential for inclusive, safe, and high-quality medical education experiences with students, as well as clinical care experiences with patients. By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Describe how to engage in respectful and affirming interpersonal exchanges with students, other members of the health care team, and patients regarding gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, and sex development;
2. Develop strategies to recover from missteps or handle a situation in the classroom or clinical environment after a microaggression occurs.

These skills and strategies are intended to support all medical educators and clinicians in offering more effective teaching and patient care related to sexual and gender minorities.

Lead author: Alex S. Keuroghlian, MD, MPH

Keuroghlian AS. “Sensitive and Affirming Communication” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022.

This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.

This module will help you understand the concept of intersectional identities and provide a framework for including them responsibly in teaching cases and case presentations. By the completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Define intersectionality and describe how a patient’s identities and lived experience may impact their health behaviors, health care, and health outcomes;
2. Describe potential benefits and pitfalls of including intersectional identities and lived experience in teaching cases and case presentations;
3. Apply best practices for facilitating responsible inclusion of intersectional identities and lived experience in teaching cases and case presentations.

Lead author: Kesha Williams, MD, MS

Williams L. “How to Weave Intersectional Identities and Lived Experience into Teaching Cases without Stereotyping or Causing Offense” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022.