of Delegates. The amendment successfully passed in 2012 by a unanimous vote thanks to the efforts of countless medical students both at UNE COM and at osteopathic medical schools around the country.
QMEd has had many transformations since its first inception with students continuing to advocate for LGBTQ+ health and representation. Later it became the Health Equality Alliance (HEAl) and is now the Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA). I am very proud of the accomplishments of the club and its student leadership. In just a few years, we were able to make dramatic changes both locally and nationally. MSPA continues to make important changes to address the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. My experience with QMed taught me how rewarding and consequential it is to advocate for patient populations that face health disparities. It also taught me the importance of building an advocacy network by finding others who share your passion.
Currently, I am a primary care physician for the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group in Washington, DC. Not long after starting with Permanente Medicine four years ago, I again found a group of physicians passionate about providing care to the LGBTQ+ community. Six of us met informally for a couple years trying to figure out how our medical group could better serve this population and address health disparities. The result was the creation of Pride Medical, a multi-disciplinary clinic dedicated to the care of LGBTQ+ patients. We offer primary care, preventive health screenings, gynecology services, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and gender affirming care.
During pride month, it is important to recognize the progress our community has made, but also the work that still needs to be done. Large health disparities still exist for the LGBTQ+ community. Taking steps to improve the training of all providers and creating welcoming care options for LGBTQ+ patients are critical objectives for our profession to continue working towards.
Health Equality Alliance at the C&O Fair