Building Inclusive Learning Environments: Integrating LGBTQ+ Training in Academic Medicine

Providing quality care starts with understanding the people we serve. For LGBTQ+ patients, that often means overcoming barriers that go beyond the exam room like bias, stigma, and a lack of provider training. As healthcare continues to evolve, so should the way we educate the next generation of physicians. Learn how Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs can incorporate LGBTQ+ topics into their curricula in meaningful, practical ways. From foundational knowledge to behavioral health and HIV prevention, we’ll highlight actionable strategies and continuing education opportunities that help build more inclusive, affirming care environments.

Building a Foundation: LGBTQ+ General Education

Before residents can provide inclusive care, they need to understand the basics. That starts with foundational education like knowing the right terminology, understanding the diverse identities within the LGBTQ+ community, and recognizing the unique health challenges these patients face. When providers feel confident in how they communicate, patients are more likely to feel seen, respected, and safe.

Many GME programs already cover topics like health equity, implicit bias, and social determinants of health. These areas are perfect entry points for LGBTQ+ education. For example, incorporating a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms from trusted sources like the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center can help standardize language across your training program. Teaching cultural competence through the lens of LGBTQ+ patient care also strengthens broader efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Eligible CME Courses include:

• Digital Innovations to Improve Access to Care for LGBTQIA+ People: Explores how technology is expanding access to inclusive, high-quality care for LGBTQIA+ communities.

• Advancing Health Equity for Sexual Minority Women: Recognizing Risk and Improving Preventive Care: Highlights health risks and gaps in preventive care for sexual minority women, with strategies to improve health outcomes and patient well-being in clinical practice.

• Emerging Depression Treatments for LGBTQIA+ People: Reviews new and evolving approaches to treating depression in LGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly current content on the use of ketamine therapy.

• The Intersection of HIV, Aging, and Housing: Considerations for Health Centers » LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: Examines LGBTQ+ aging, HIV status, and housing instability data and the impact on patient care, and offers strategies for comprehensive support in health center settings.

Supporting the Whole Person: LGBTQIA+ Behavioral Health

Behavioral health is a key part of overall wellness, and for LGBTQ+ individuals, it’s especially important. Many LGBTQ+ patients face higher rates of depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use, often linked to discrimination, isolation, or past negative experiences in healthcare.

When residents are taught how to identify and respond to the unique mental health needs of LGBTQ+ patients, they’re better prepared to provide care that feels safe, affirming, and effective. Integrated care models, where behavioral health professionals work alongside primary care teams, can also reduce stigma and improve access to timely support. These models don’t just improve outcomes, they build trust.

Including behavioral health topics in your curriculum sends a clear message: mental health matters, and so does the lived experience of every patient.

Eligible CME Courses include:

• Improving Depression Care for LGBTQIA+ Older Adults at Health Centers » LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: Outlines practical, affirming approaches to treating depression in older LGBTQ+ adults, focusing on cultural responsiveness and clinical effectiveness.

• Low Threshold Substance Use Support for LGBTQIA+ Communities » LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: Highlights inclusive, harm-reduction strategies for supporting LGBTQ+ individuals with substance use, emphasizing accessibility, patient-centered models, and education on caring for those who are homeless.

Prioritizing Prevention: HIV and STI Education

HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ communities, especially young people and men who have sex with men. While medical advancements have improved prevention and treatment options, education remains one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce stigma and improve care.

For residents and providers, that means going beyond the clinical facts. It’s important to understand how stigma, discrimination, and provider bias can create real barriers to care. Education should include not just the science of HIV and STI prevention, but also how to communicate with empathy and provide judgment-free support.

National plans like the  2022-2025 National HIV/AIDS Strategy emphasize the role of healthcare professionals in breaking down these barriers. By training residents to offer inclusive, culturally sensitive care, we can better reach those most at risk and ensure no patient is left behind.

Eligible CME Courses include:

• Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Impact on LGBTQIA+ People - LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: Examines how infectious disease outbreaks uniquely affect LGBTQ+ communities and discusses strategies to address disparities in response and care.

• HIV Prevention and Care for People Assigned Female at Birth - LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: Focuses on inclusive HIV prevention and treatment approaches tailored to the needs of individuals assigned female at birth within LGBTQ+ populations and women.

From Planning to Practice: Integrating LGBTQ+ Education into GME

Creating inclusive curricula requires more than good intentions. It requires time, structure, and resources. Many institutions face challenges not because of a lack of interest, but due to limited capacity or clear guidance. While adding LGBTQ+ content to an already full curriculum can seem daunting, it becomes manageable with the right tools and support.

Resources like the AAMC’s guide on curricular and climate change offer helpful frameworks for designing, assessing, and sustaining LGBTQ+ content. Recommendations from groups like the American Academy of Family Physicians also emphasize using multidisciplinary teaching models, partnering with local LGBTQ+ communities, collecting learner feedback, and modeling inclusive behaviors across specialties.

LGBTQ+ patients receive care in every setting and every specialty, so training shouldn’t be siloed. Incorporating inclusive education across your programs helps build a more equitable learning environment and, more importantly, a stronger standard of care for all patients.

If your institution is exploring ways to enhance LGBTQ+ training, Germane Solutions is here to help. Our team can support curriculum development, implementation strategy, and long-term planning tailored to your institution’s needs.

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Works Cited

“Ard, Kevin L., MD, MPH. “HIV and STI Prevention Among LGBTQ+ People.” National LGBT Health Education Center, TITLE SLIDE.

Danckers, Mauricio, Jake Nusynowitz, Lily Jamneshan, et al. “The Sexual and Gender Minority (LGBTQ+) Medical Trainee: The Journey Through Medical Education.” BMC Med Educ, vol. 24, no. 67, 2024, The sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) medical trainee: the journey through medical education | BMC Medical Education | Full Text.

“Fast Facts: HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men.” CDC, October 7, 2024. Fast Facts: HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men | HIV | CDC.

“Integrated Behavioral Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse People

An Affirming, Harm Reduction, and Trauma Responsive Approach.” National LGBT Health Education Center, 2023, integrated-behavioral-health-care-for-transgender-and-gender-diverse-people-an-affirming-harm-reduction-and-trauma-responsive-approach.pdf.

“Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Family Medicine Residents: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Asexual Health.” American Academy of Family Physicians, Revised 2019, AAFP Reprint No 289D Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Family Medicine Residents LGBTQA Health.

Sawning, Susan, Stacie Steinbock, Rachel Croley, Ryan Combs, Ann Shaw, Toni Ganzel. “A First Step in Addressing Medical Education Curriculum Gaps in Lesbian-, Gay-, Bisexual-, and Transgender-Related Content: The University of Louisville Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Certificate Program.” Education for Health, 2017, vol. 30, no. 2, Education for Health.