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Pritzker News
Pritzker students lead effort to improve LGBTQ care BY ANNE STEIN
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That was 2011, and the HEI wasn’t on the radar yet for the University of Chicago Medicine, said James Woodruff, MD, associate dean of students. “It was through Alan’s efforts,” Woodruff said, “and those of students who subsequently joined the effort that the medical center identified this as a focus.” The next year, UChicago Medicine joined the survey, scoring only one point out of four. (The criteria were patient nondiscrimination policies, visitation policies, employment nondiscrimination policies and training in LGBTQ patient-centered care.) “We worked with many departments across the enterprise to improve our patient rights and responsibilities, visitor access and employee equal opportunity
PHOTO BY JEAN LACHAT
lan Hutchison, PhD ’16, MS2, didn’t know much about LGBTQ health until he took the Health Care Disparities: Equity and Advocacy course required of all incoming Pritzker School of Medicine students. That’s when he first heard about the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which evaluates facilities for their policies and practices related to equity and inclusion of LGBTQ patients, visitors and employees. “I didn’t realize it was something that hospitals were surveyed on,” Hutchison said. “After the class, I felt compelled to some kind of advocacy to make things better. And I felt as a medical student, I had a voice in the community.”
Ren Belcher, MS3, left, Rebecca Zuckerman, MS3, Hannah Wenger, MD’15, and Alan Hutchison, PhD’16, MS2, worked to help the University of Chicago Medicine achieve leader status in LGBTQ health care equality.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICINE AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIVISION
antiharassment policies to specifically include LGBTQ individuals,” said James Williams, director of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. Since 2014, team members have engaged in more than 700 hours of training on health care services for LGBTQ patients. The institution-wide commitment to providing equitable and culturally competent care and services resulted in UChicago Medicine achieving status as a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality for 2015, 2016 and 2017. For 2017, institutions were required to meet additional criteria based on best practice care for LGBTQ patient services and support. John Schneider, MD, MPH, and his team at the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination provided research, expertise and care that contributed to UChicago Medicine’s score. The HEI Equality Leader status “shows that LGBTQ patients are a priority and that in addition to not discriminating, we actively welcome and address issues that people in this community face, especially when they’re in a vulnerable situation,” said Rebecca Zuckerman, MS3. Zuckerman and Ren Belcher, MS3, also joined the effort after completing their Health Care Disparities course, as did teaching assistant Hannah Wenger, MD ’15, now a UChicago Medicine resident. In May 2016, Hutchison, a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program, was recognized with the Jane Morton and Henry C. Murphy Award, a Universitywide honor, for his work in helping the medical center achieve leader status in LGBTQ health care equality. “He also brought this issue to the other medical centers in the city, the bulk of which were not aware of the HEI, and encouraged them to take action as well,” Woodruff said. “Through this work, Alan and the other students showed great leadership institutionally and regionally.”