Panel Discussion on Education that Improves Inclusive Healthcare: Lessons From a Program Focused on Cancer Screening and Care for Transgender Individuals

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has gained important and increased societal attention recently and has been a topic of discussion and learning at recent Alliance meetings. However, the faculty for this abstract and proposed session are leading in DEI and passionately believe that more work must be done to overcome barriers, particularly through CPD education to reduce existing and emerging disparities and improve compassionate healthcare for all patients. Therefore, the focus of this session aligns closely with the Alliance 2023 theme “Overcoming. Emerging. Leading.” but is also unique in many ways. First, DEI sessions at the past Alliance meetings have not been specifically focused on education to improve the healthcare of transgender individuals. Second, the diverse backgrounds, expertise, and viewpoints of the panelists will equip learners with practical, take-home knowledge and skills along with inspiration to continue to pursue and improve their DEI-focused education efforts.

This session will be an engaging panel discussion with a mix of interview style questions and brief presentations with time built in for participants to ask the panelists questions. A topline agenda and Panel Discussion topics are as follows:

Session introduction and an overview of the need for education to address barriers to optimal, inclusive care in the transgender community

Designing an educational program for healthcare professionals and patients to address clinical gaps as well as disparities in care

• Review of patient surveys and their experiences


• Examples of integrating patient experiences and disparities in care to inform activities and resources for HCPs as well as patients and caregivers  

Healthcare professionals’ DEI learning preferences and the role of training and DEI education to improve compassionate and high-quality patient care

• Examples of DEI education that changes HCP behavior


• Examples of using patients as faculty for HCP training/education

A call to action for continued DEI education and the power of good storytelling to educate and change behavior

• Overview of a transgender patient’s healthcare experiences


• Examples of patient-led podcasts and clips from the documentary “Trans Dudes With Lady Cancer” http://www.transdudeswithladycancer.org/

Audience question and answer session with the panelists

The learning objectives for the Session are as follows:

• Integrate strategies to raise internal awareness and support for DEI-focused CPD programs


• Design DEI CPD programs with activities appropriate for healthcare professionals and patients


• Evaluate the ongoing need for DEI education and the impact of CPD programs on patient care

The diversity of the panel faculty will bring unique perspectives from within the Alliance community and importantly viewpoints outside of our community. Kevin Obholz and Rachael Andrie have nearly 30 years of cumulative experience in designing and developing CPD education, including multiple recent DEI-focused CPD programs. Dr. Obholz will serve as the Moderator for the session and along with Dr. Andrie and the other panelists will provide practical tips and guidance on DEI CPD, including insights on successful programs and lessons learned for improving DEI-focused CPD. Nelson Sanchez is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Sanchez has published research on medical students’ clinical experiences with LGBT patients and was awarded an R25 NIH grant to train early career investigators. Dr. Sanchez will provide participants with unique insights on how best to educate and train busy healthcare professionals and particularly how to effectively educate on DEI healthcare issues. Yee Won Chong is a gifted speaker, filmmaker, and activist. Yee Won is a transgender cancer survivor and will describe the healthcare experiences of a transgender patient, the potential for patients to have a role as faculty in DEI CPD, and will provide valuable lessons on the power of good storytelling in education to change behavior.  

This is an important session on an important topic that will practically equip and inspire participants.  

Innovation:

The innovation of this abstract is in the importance of the topic and the diverse expertise, experiences, and perspectives of the panelists. The faculty will be a mix of CPD education providers and two new to the Alliance - a physician expert and a patient/activist. All will present viewpoints to equip and inspire participants to improve their DEI programs and recognize that what we do matters to the improvement of patient care.