Background: High-quality and responsive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care is vital for supporting the overall health of LGBTQ-identifying individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB). Research demonstrates that cisgender sexual minority women and transmasculine and gender-diverse individuals are underserved populations who face barriers in accessing person-centered and structurally competent SRH care. This initiative partners with the community regarding the care they want and need and patient-centered outcomes research/comparative clinical effectiveness research (PCOR/CER) critical to supporting care decisions.

Proposed Solution to the Problem: This project is based at Whitman-Walker Institute, in Washington, DC. The project team will develop and implement a peer-based community engagement workshop series to build the capacity of community to lead future PCOR/CER. The team will also identify key elements of healthcare delivery models to achieve community-identified priority SRH outcomes to be evaluated through PCOR/CER after the project is completed.

Objectives: The project’s aims are to:

• Engage the community broadly representing LGBTQ-identifying AFAB individuals
• Develop and implement a stakeholder-driven, peer-based workshop series to build capacity to participate as full partners and co-leaders in PCOR/CER
• Build capacity for measuring SRH outcomes deemed most important
• Build an ongoing partnership with community, investigators, and clinical stakeholders around improving SRH through PCOR/CER
• Disseminate strategies, processes, and lessons learned broadly to advance continued partnerships across stakeholders in PCOR/CER

Activities: The project will occur in a two-stage process of community leaders developing a workshop series for broader participation, with ongoing activities to engage the communities across Washington, DC. The project team will work with investigators and other clinical stakeholders to ensure long-term PCOR/CER partnerships.

Projected Outcomes and Outputs:

Short-term outcomes during the project period include: 

• Broad community outreach
• Building a network of community leaders (CL)
• Developing a workshop series designed by CL input
• Engagement of the Community Workshop Partnership (CWP) in the workshop series
• Improved CWP PCOR/CER capacity
• Engagement of investigators and clinical stakeholders
• Disseminating CL/CWP process, progress, and workshop findings

Medium-term outcomes (zero-two years post-project period) include: 

• Disseminating identified PCOR/CER SRH priorities
• Continued capacity-building of CWP to identify PCOR/CER opportunities
• Continued engagement of CWP to identify emerging shifts in health priorities

Long-term outcomes (three or more years post-project period) include: 

• Continued role of CWP in PCOR/CER as research leaders
• Receiving funds to engage in PCOR/CER with CWP
• Robust PCOR/CER findings to inform SRH and other healthcare delivery

The project outputs will include dissemination materials.

Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan: The project team will connect with Whitman-Walker patients and/or participants and will reach out to Whitman-Walker colleagues to identify and engage project participants. The team will engage with a broad range of community organizations, leaders, and individuals throughout the District of Columbia and set up a series of meetings to discuss project goals. This project is designed around community partnership and leadership, in that the CLs and CWP participants are integral throughout the project design and implementation.

Project Collaborators: This project is supported by several community-based organizations, including Women in the Life Association, Trans Maryland, DC Dyke March, and DC Area Transmasculine Society. The project team will connect with the community broadly and inclusively in addition to working with these organizations.