LGBT

 Panel  Sample  Question  Prompts      

 
“Patient  as  Professor”  Panel  with  LGBT-­‐Identified  Individuals  
 
Timeline:  1  hour                                
Content:    
1) 1-­‐minute  introduction  by  each  panelist  of  who  they  are,  how  they  identify,  
and  why  they  wanted  to  participate  on  the  panel  
2) Short  3-­‐5  minute  presentations  by  each  of  3-­‐5  panelists  on  each  of  the  three  
questions  below  in  succession,  i.e.  first  panelist  answers  the  first  question,  
second  panelist  answers  the  first  questions,  and  so  on  
3) Interactive  question-­‐and-­‐answer  session  and  public  discussion    
 
Sample  Questions  and  Prompts  for  Panelists:  
 
1.  Please  describe  a  positive  interaction  with  a  health  care  provider  in  which  you  felt  
safe,  respected,  seen/heard,  supported.  What  made  this  encounter  a  positive  
experience?  
 
2.  Please  describe  a  challenging  medically-­‐related  experience  that  you  encountered  
with  respect  to  LGBT  health  concerns,  for  example:  insensitivity,  LGBT-­‐phobia,  
improper  care.  What  made  it  challenging.  What  would  you  like  to  have  
seen/done/said  to  change  the  situation?  
 
3.  What  advice/wisdom/information  would  you  like  to  give  to  future  physicians  to  
make  them  more  aware,  more  competent  and  more  clinically  skilled  practitioners  
when  encountering  LGBT  patients  and  health  concerns?  
 
***  Nota  Bene  for  Panelists  ***  Please  assume  a  range  of  experience  and  comfort  
level  with  LGBT  issues  and  with  those  who  identify  as  LGBT.  Questions  may  range  
from  the  most  rudimentary  and  naive  to  incredibly  sophisticated  and  insightful.  
 
Identities  of  Panelists  in  Pilot  Curriculum:  
 
1) 45-­‐year-­‐old  bisexual-­‐identified  transgender  man  
2) 42-­‐year-­‐old  lesbian-­‐  and  queer-­‐identified  woman  
3) 25-­‐year-­‐old  gay-­‐identified  cisgender  (non-­‐transgender)  man  with  HIV  
4) 33-­‐year-­‐old  queer-­‐  and  genderqueer-­‐  identified  woman  
 
Things  to  Consider:  
 
1) Recruit  panelists  from  local  LGBT  community-­‐based  organizations,  and/or  
from  LGBT  student  groups,  and  offer  a  small  stipend  plus  travel  expenses  
2) 3-­‐5  panelists  is  an  ideal  number.  
3) Encourage  diversity  among  panelists:  be  especially  mindful  to  include  people  
of  color,  youth,  elders,  and  transgender  and  gender  non-­‐conforming  people  
whenever  possible.  
LGBT  Panel  Sample  Question  Prompts      
 
4) Speak  with  potential  panel  members  in  advance  to  contextualize  their  
participation  within  the  curriculum,  to  emphasize  the  range  of  comfort  level  
with  LGBT  individuals  among  learners,  and  to  vet  them  for  potential  anger  
and/or  resentment  toward  health  care  providers  (see  next  item).    
5) LGBT  individuals  have  faced  discrimination,  stigma,  and  bias  in  health  care  
settings,  and  many  have  been  significantly  traumatized  by  these  experiences.  
Speaking  to  future  health  care  providers  can  be  a  transformative  experience  
both  for  patients  and  for  learners,  but  it  is  important  to  be  mindful  of  how  
effective  an  individual’s  message  will  be  if  it  is  embedded  in  negative  
emotions  that  may  alienate  learners.