A timely and relevant new brief from The Fenway Institute outlines a plan to move healthcare towards being a universally trauma-informed system to bolster support for LGBTQ+ individuals and survivors of trauma
BOSTON, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Martine Geary-Souza, a research fellow with The Fenway Institute and soon-to-be MPH graduate from Boston University's School of Public Health (BUSPH), will publish a brief advocating for universal trauma-informed care (TIC) in healthcare. Equity in Action: Universal Trauma-Informed Care as a Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Patients comes in the wake of recent executive orders impacting healthcare access for LGBTQ+ individuals, in particular transgender and gender-diverse communities. Geary-Souza emphasizes the urgent need for systemic reforms to address significant health disparities among LGBTQ+ populations and to improve patient care outcomes nationwide.
Geary-Souza, herself a survivor of extensive trauma, has long supported increased TIC in healthcare and medical education. Her brief advocates embedded TIC competencies within medical education accreditation standards, highlighting the importance of comprehensive, experiential, hands-on training. With a focus on trauma's neurobiological impact, Geary-Souza highlights the critical role universal TIC implementation can play in reducing adverse health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals while drawing needed attention to current systemic barriers impacting provider practices.
The brief highlights health disparities experienced among LGBTQ+ populations and recognizes the disproportionate impact of burnout on LGBTQ+ providers. Geary-Souza asserts a fundamental part of effective TIC is bolstering support for providers as well.
Seeking to empower providers, Geary-Souza states, "As new barriers to affirming and accessible care continue to emerge for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, TIC offers a timely opportunity for providers to meaningfully impact patient lives when community support is most needed."
Completed with a proposed plan for implementation and scaling, Geary-Souza sets the stage for broad-scale innovation in medical education. With growing expertise in TIC, Geary-Souza is seeking a partnership with a Graduate Medical Education (GME) institution to implement this initiative. She hopes to collaborate with leaders in the field to advocate for integrating TIC competencies into accreditation standards set by the Liaison Council on Medical Education (LCME).
Founded in 1971, Fenway Health advocates for and delivers innovative, equitable, accessible health care, supportive services, and transformative research and education. We center LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC individuals, and other underserved communities to enable our local, national, and global neighbors to flourish. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues.
Media Contact
Christopher Viveiros, Fenway Community Health, 6179276342, [email protected], www.fenwayhealth.org
SOURCE Fenway Community Health
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