A new handbook
released by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School
of Public Health is aimed at educating health care providers
about the unique challenges and needs of gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender patients. The book, titled
The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's
Guide to Service, is available at major booksellers,
at online sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and
Borders, and directly from publisher Haworth Press.
"When most
health care practitioners think about lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or transgender health, they immediately
conjure up images of HIV and AIDS," says
Michael D. Shankle, the editor of the handbook.
"However, the public health landscape for
sexual minorities is much larger and significantly
more complicated than just sexually transmitted diseases.
That is why there is a need for this handbook."
The handbook
covers a wide range of health issues outside of HIV and
STDS, as well as other issues that may affect care for gay
patients, including discrimination, the assumption by
health professionals of risk factors based solely on
sexual or gender orientation, the confidentiality of
medical records, and employment issues, among others.
Shankle served as
chairman of the LGBT Caucus of Public Health Workers
from 2001 to 2003, and his research interests include gay
health issues, HIV prevention in young adults, and
public health technology integration. He is also a
founding board member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Health, Education, and Research Trust. (The
Advocate)