"The History of the Medical Treatment of Homosexuality"

I heard an interesting talk from Dr. Alice Dreger this spring about how homosexuality has been approached in the medical sphere over the past century or so.  Dr. Dreger's research focuses on what she refers to as "norm-challenging bodies", including disorders of sexual development (e.g. intersex), conjoinment, dwarfism, and cleft lip.  


Her talk at MSU touched on the issues related to medicalizing homosexuality, and how LGBT advocacy has led to more progressive attitudes in the medical field towards sexual minorities.



Dr. Dreger explained a general shift in societal views of homosexuality over the centuries:
Sin (pre-19th century) → Crime (19th century) → Disease (20th century) → Identity (21st century)

Lack of Research Ethics: Lessons from Tuskegee & Guatemala

Last month, I attended a lecture given by Dr. Susan Reverby, Escaping Melodrama: On Telling the Histories of the Infamous U.S. Medical Research Studies in Tuskegee and Guatemala.  Reverby has devoted a great deal of scholarly work to these clinical trials that are infamous for their lack of research ethics.

source: http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/about/id/601221/n/Infected

A quick timeline for reference:
1932 Tuskegee study begins
1943 Penicillin discovered as effective treatment for syphilis
1946-1948 Guatemala study
1972 Tuskegee study ends
1997 Apology from Pres. Clinton for Tuskegee
2010 Apology from Pres. Obama for Guatemala

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Today I participated in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Grand Rapids.  It was a really powerful experience and I'd like to share with you why I walk.

I'd like you to meet an amazing woman, Nancy Nell, my mother.  

Mom and I in 2006

my take on "it gets better"

Dr. Ng: My Hero in Transgender Healthcare!

Things have been surprisingly busy in this strange transitional phase between med school and residency.  So pardon the cobwebs and I'll do my best to keep this more current!  But in the meantime, bear with me as I play catch-up and try to cover a few awesome things I've been able to experience over the past month-- beginning with an LGBT-positive experience I had at MSU!

Motivational Interviewing: Tricks of the Trade

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a great tool not only for therapists but for any clinician hoping to advocate for behavior change in their patients-- a very important skill for primary care physicians!

Lynn Massey, an LMSW skilled in brief ED interventions with substance abusers, explained many important characteristics of MI in a recent workshop I attended.  In addition to well-known approaches such as empathy and collaboration with patients, she emphasized the importance of evocation (eliciting, accepting, and understanding patients' ideas about behavior change) and respecting patient autonomy, because in the end, it is the patient's choice to change a behavior or not.

It's also important to realize that motivation, or readiness for change, is a very dynamic process that is the deciding factor when it comes to patient adherence to treatment plans, behavior change, etc.  In fact, there is a model for understanding the process of change that can be very helpful for the frustrated clinician:

source: adultmeducation.com

National Public Health Week Part 3: Racial Disparities in Healthcare

I'd like to close out NPHW with one more topic inspired by an amazing doc and eloquent storyteller who we were fortunate to meet at our public health conference this past week.  Dr. Camara Jones is a well-known family physician, epidemiologist, and research director on Social Determinants of Health & Equity at the CDC.  While many people have a general idea that racial/ethnic minorities generally experience poorer health care and health outcomes, Dr. Jones really helped us understand the roots of some of this by explaining the multiple levels of racism that can lead to health disparities.