Proposal for a Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Abstract

Understanding gender, sex, and sexuality is required in order to be a competent, patient-centered physician, and, therefore, inclusion of these topics in undergraduate medical education is essential. Current medical education is not producing physicians equipped to manage the complaints and issues that face their patients in these areas. LGBTQ populations are most affected by the inadequacy of training related to these topics. LGBTQ patients face unique issues in healthcare in terms of their normal development, pathology, social determinants of health, and healthcare system practices. Additionally, LGBTQ people and those who engage in behaviors that parallel these identities are prevalent in the general population. The addition of a gender, sex, and sexuality curriculum would simultaneously address LGBTQ disparities as well as the need for improved sexual health education that would benefit all patients. Currently, undergraduate medical curricula have limited, non-standardized education on gender, sex, and sexuality. A few American institutions have published both qualitative and quantitative studies that indicate medical students’ attitudes are malleable and their clinical skills can be improved in these areas. Further, numerous national medical societies have created curriculum guidelines and recommendations in order to aid medical schools looking to bolster their gender, sex, and sexuality related curricula. This paper will synthesize research and these guidelines to propose a robust gender, sex, and sexuality curriculum that is tailored to the environment found at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.