- Department of Public Health
Media Contact
Ann Scales, Director of Media Relations
Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has partnered with The Fenway Institute, a division of Fenway Health, to further enhance the visibility, availability, and usefulness of educational resources and training for licensed healthcare professionals serving the LGBTQIA+ population. The DPH/Fenway Health Training Initiative will offer educational and training opportunities focused on delivering culturally competent, affirming care for LGBTQIA+ individuals and others who rely on these services.
This initiative will create and promote core training materials and webinars designed to improve the care provided by the more than 550,000 healthcare professionals licensed through DPH’s 22 professional boards – from nurses to social workers to pharmacists - overseen by the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, as well as physicians licensed by the Board of Registration in Medicine.
“As a physician, I have seen firsthand that gender-affirming care is more than just affirming – it can be lifesaving,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD., who founded and has served as medical director of the Transgender Health Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Far too often, LGBTQIA+ individuals experience stigma, bias, and discrimination when seeking care. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and to have access to health professionals who are knowledgeable, respectful, and prepared to meet their specific needs. These training materials will help reinforce and embed those standards of care across the workforce in Massachusetts.”
“This initiative represents a powerful step forward in ensuring that LGBTQIA+ people receive care that is not only competent but deeply affirming,” said Jordina Shanks, Chief Executive Officer of Fenway Health. “At Fenway, we know that training is not an optional enhancement - it’s an essential component of equitable care. We’re proud to partner with DPH to bring this work to scale across Massachusetts and set a national example for inclusive health education.”
The Institute’s training will cover a variety of key topics, which include creating an inclusive and welcoming environment, collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data, primary care for transgender and gender diverse patients, affirming care for transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents, and telehealth for LGBTQIA+ patients. Participants may accrue continuing education credits by completing the training courses.
The Fenway Institute, an interdisciplinary center for research, education, training, and policy development with a pioneering history of community and academic collaborations, developed the training in partnership with DPH.
Learn more about the DPH/Fenway Health Training Initiative.
About DPH Bureau of Health Professions Licensure
The Bureau of Health Professions Licensure (BHPL) oversees the licensing of over 550,000 healthcare professionals in the state of Massachusetts. BHPL oversees and supports the Drug Control Program and 22 boards of registration and certification in health professions to promote public health, wellness, and safety.
About The Fenway Institute
The Fenway Institute has over 25 years of experience training healthcare staff on providing skilled and affirming healthcare. TFI offers expertise in project planning and management, training development, and implementation. The Fenway Institute was founded in 2001 with Doctors Kenneth Mayer and Judith Bradford as Co-Chairs and quickly grew into one of the preeminent LGBTQIA+ health and HIV research, education, and policy organizations in the world. The Fenway Institute has provided continuous leadership in the creation of a national agenda on LGBTQIA+ health, including work with the US Surgeon General’s Office to ensure the inclusion of sexual minorities in Healthy People 2010 and prominent contributions to the Healthy People 2010 Companion Document on LGBT Health.
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