Message from the SGMRO Director:
June marks the beginning of Pride Month, which not only commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969, but also celebrates sexual and gender diversity across the nation. It is a time to reflect on and recognize the immense hardships and obstacles sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities have overcome, and those that they continue to face today. While we celebrate the progress made thus far, we understand that much work still needs to be done, especially when it comes to achieving optimal health outcomes within SGM communities.
The Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes the significant health disparities that continue to exist within SGM populations and remains committed to ensuring that these populations are included and represented in research across the NIH. In honor of Pride Month, I am proud to announce that the SGMRO will be releasing its FY 2018 Annual Report and FY 2017 Portfolio Analysis in the coming weeks, which will highlight progress made at the NIH in coordinating and promoting SGM health research and related activities.
I am also proud to say that the SGMRO is leading implementation of recommendations made by the NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Research Working Group of the Council of Councils, following a mid-course progress review for the FY 2016-FY 2020 Strategic Plan to Advance Health Research on the Health and Well-being of Sexual and Gender Minorities. In order to meet one of these recommendations, the SGMRO recently brought onboard three new staff members to assist with strategic planning, programmatic management, and communications. These individuals bring with them an array of experiences which will indubitably help the SGMRO in addressing the rest of the Working Group’s recommendations, allowing the NIH to continue to expand efforts across the agency.
Here at the SGMRO, and the NIH, we remain deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our research and our workplace. We understand that in order to best embody our agency’s mission of turning discovery into health, we must continue to be inclusive of all communities in our research and all related activities, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It is my hope that during Pride month, all of us take a moment to celebrate the broad diversity of SGM communities and recognize the work that remains in understanding and reducing health disparities within these communities.
From the SGMRO to you, Happy Pride month!
Sincerely yours,
Karen L. Parker, PhD, MSW
Director, Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office
National Institutes of Health