Today the Four Corners: Trans & Nonbinary (TNB) Health Research Advisory Network, an initiative of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and partnering organizations, announced the release of its first report entitled Health Research Priorities Among TNB Communities. The innovative community-led research advisory network released findings identifying priority areas and directions for researchers looking to develop patient-centered projects focused on addressing the health needs of TNB communities.
Findings from the Four Corners network can make future research projects more relevant, ethical, and beneficial to TNB individuals whose voices and experiences are often overlooked or ignored. The major findings identified by the researchers and TNB community members from across the country are:
- Community-identified Research Priorities:
- Gender-affirming Medicine & Health Outcomes
- Reproductive Health, Fertility, & Family Planning
- Nonbinary-specific Research
- Directions for Ethical & Meaningful Research on TNB Health:
- The Need for Diversity & TNB Leadership among Research Teams
- Visibility & Community Benefit
- Trust, Transparency, & Accessibility
“This first-of-its-kind report will significantly help to address the disparities experienced by members of the TNB community who deserve access to proper healthcare and vital health resources,” said Robert Bolan, M.D., Los Angeles LGBT Center’s chief medical officer and Four Corners site principal investigator. “We thank our partnering organizations, and those who participated in this important health research, for helping TNB people be healthy and complete.”
“Trans and nonbinary people need to be at the table to represent our communities. Four Corners research finally brings healthcare professionals, researchers, and community members together to address TNB health inequities,” added Four Corners Network Member Bo Hwang of Los Angeles.
Four Corners is a network made up of researchers, clinicians, and TNB community members from three Federally Qualified Health Centers: Los Angeles LGBT Center; Howard Brown Health in Chicago, and Whitman-Walker Institute in Washington, D.C. Together, the organizations serve more than 10,000 TNB-identified patients and clients. The network officially launched in 2018.
This work was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award (EA #10754).
To read the full report Health Research Priorities Among TNB Communities, visit bitly.com/fourcornersnetwork.