The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded a $1,287,000 Project Grant (CFDA 93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research) to the University of Colorado-Denver to conduct a feasibility study on assessing the processes and outcomes related to gender affirming care for transgender and gender diverse youth in the United States. The study aims to: (1) establish the acceptability of study instruments and sustainability of data collection procedures;...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, will fund a $654,475 research study to characterize the impact of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT) on pain and pain-related symptoms in gender minority (GM) adults. The key products and services to be delivered under this 5-year award include: 1) Longitudinal characterization of...
This $395,496 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) aims to improve engagement in HIV prevention and care among transgender women. The award supports the following key activities: Exploring the relationship between trauma, mental health, and HIV prevention/care engagement among transgender women through in-depth interviews with 20 participants. Examining barriers and facilitators to implementing a...
This Project Grant award, provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310), will fund a $985,097 longitudinal study to examine psychosocial predictors of suicide risk among gender minority adolescents (GMA). The University of Pittsburgh, as the prime recipient, will recruit 1,500 adolescents (1,000 GMA and 500 non-GMA) to complete clinical interviews and surveys at baseline and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups....
This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes (CFDA 93.226) program provides $794,496 to implement and evaluate a structurally competent adaptation of the Critical Time Intervention (CTI-T) for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals transitioning from institutional settings in New Mexico. The project aims to address the significant health...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (CFDA 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants) will support a 5-year, $1,631,762 study to understand the developmental trajectories of depression and suicidal ideation among bisexual and other multi-gender attracted (BI+) adolescents and young adults. The study will use an accelerated longitudinal design to: 1) identify diverse trajectories of depression and suicidal ideation from adolescence to young adulthood among BI+...
This Project Grant award from the Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes (CFDA 93.226) program provides $391,458 to Arizona State University (ASU) to develop and evaluate an online contraception decision aid for transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB). The key products to be delivered through this 4-year project include: (1) building...
This $114,866 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Nursing Research (CFDA 93.361 Nursing Research) supports a mixed methods study to understand perspectives of sexual and gender minority (SGM) clients and primary care clinicians on approaches to improve awareness, uptake, and persistence of biomedical HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxPEP), in primary care...
This Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.837), provides $1,559,542 to The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. to study the cardiometabolic impact of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) in transmasculine young adults. The key objectives are to: 1) Determine the near-term effects of GAHT initiation on vascular endothelial and cardiometabolic health markers in transmasculine...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), funds a mixed methods study to explore how a person-centered care model can improve HIV testing engagement and service access for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) communities in India. The $146,922 award, effective from December 2024 to March 2025, supports research activities with TGD participants and healthcare providers to 1) identify profiles of HIV...
GENDER AFFIRMATION, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND ACCESS TO CARE: A MIXED-METHOD LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT GENDER MINORITIES (GM) HAVE GAINED GREATER VISIBILITY IN U.S. SOCIETY IN RECENT YEARS. HOWEVER, THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF GM INDIVIDUALS REMAINS A CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. GM FACE PERSISTENT STIGMA, DISCRIMINATION, AND BARRIERS TO SERVICES THAT AFFECT THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING OVER THE LIFE COURSE. GENDER AFFIRMATION IS A PROCESS OF RECOGNIZING A PERSON'S GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION, WHICH MAY INCLUDE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AS WELL AS SOCIAL AND MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS; IT HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING. UNMET NEEDS FOR GENDER AFFIRMATION HAVE BEEN LINKED TO GREATER RISK BEHAVIOR AND POORER SELF-CARE AMONG GM, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO HIV RISK AND TREATMENT. CLINICIANS WHO ARE SPECIALLY TRAINED IN PROVIDING GENDER-AFFIRMING SERVICES MAY BE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO SUPPORT THE EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF GM INDIVIDUALS, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A LONG-TERM IMPACT ON A PERSON'S TRUST AND COMFORT IN INTERACTING WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION IN CARE, AND SELF-CARE BEHAVIORS THAT INFLUENCE ONE'S HEALTH TRAJECTORY OVER THE LIFE COURSE. THERE IS A DEARTH OF EVIDENCE ON THE HEALTHCARE NEEDS OF GM INDIVIDUALS AFTER SURGERY, THEIR PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT DURING THIS PHASE OF THEIR IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT, THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, AND LONG-TERM PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING. THE GOAL OF THIS PROSPECTIVE, MIXED METHOD, LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY IS TO BUILD A RICH EVIDENCE BASE ON GM IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AFTER GENDER-AFFIRMING SURGERY AND THE LONG-TERM HEALTHCARE NEEDS OF GM INDIVIDUALS, EXAMINING CHANGES IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. USING A COMBINATION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS, OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO: 1. DOCUMENT CHANGES OVER TIME IN GM INDIVIDUALS' (N = 300 RECRUITED FROM A GENDER-AFFIRMING, POST-SURGICAL HOME HEALTHCARE PROGRAM) PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AFTER SURGERY, INCLUDING SUCH DOMAINS AS (I) GENDER AND SEXUAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT, (II) INTIMACY AND RELATIONSHIPS, (III) SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT, (IV) EMPLOYMENT AND FINANCIAL WELLBEING, AND (V) ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY AND PURPOSE IN LIFE. 2. EXAMINE CHANGES IN GM INDIVIDUALS' HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER SURGERY, INCLUDING SUCH DOMAINS AS (I) PHYSICAL HEALTH, (II) MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELLBEING, (III) SEXUAL FUNCTION, SATISFACTION AND HEALTH, (IV) HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND SELF-CARE, AND (V) ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION IN HEALTHCARE AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. 3. IDENTIFY BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO GM INDIVIDUALS' ENGAGEMENT WITH THEIR SELF-CARE AND ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION IN HOME AND SUBSEQUENT HEALTHCARE FOR BOTH GENDER-RELATED AND OTHER HEALTH CONCERNS. THE STUDY WILL ADDRESS A SIGNIFICANT GAP IN THE CURRENT EVIDENCE ON BEST PRACTICES TO SUPPORT GM INDIVIDUALS DURING A PIVOTAL LIFE COURSE TRANSITION, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THEIR ENGAGEMENT IN CARE AND MITIGATE THE PERVASIVE DISPARITIES IN HEALTHCARE ACCESS, OUTCOMES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AFFECTING THIS POPULATION.