Dr. Mark Schuster, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Founding Dean and CEO, has been awarded the LGBT Health Professional Leadership Award from the Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians Initiative (BNGAP), which works with leading national organizations to promote diversity in the academic medicine workforce. The award was announced at the BNGAP 12th Anniversary Awards Dinner, as part of the group’s annual LGBT Health Workforce Conference.
“Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians has been a leader in supporting the careers of health professionals from many underrepresented groups and in educating health professionals about caring for people from all backgrounds,” said Schuster. “I am honored to receive an award from this organization that is working towards such important goals.”
BNGAP’s executive committee allots three annual awards to recognize entities (two individuals and one organization or institution) that have led in the development of the LGBT health workforce. The awards highlight people and entities that demonstrate commitment, scholarship, and dedication to the development of a health workforce that is responsive to the unique health issues and disparities of LGBT communities, according to the organization. The Health Professional Leadership Award recognizes an individual who, as a health-related professional, has led activities to promote the development of a health workforce responsive to the needs of LGBTQ+ communities.
The LGBT Health Workforce Conference, the largest and most well-known national LGBT health workforce conference in the U.S., is held annually in New York City. The conference provides an overview of up-to-date practices (climate, educational, research, and clinical) in preparing the healthcare workforce to address the health concerns and disparities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities. The conference is designed for health professionals, educators, students, and other interested parties, and is designed to help prepared them to address the health concerns LGBTQ communities and to provide professional development resources to support these goals, according to the organization.
