Alberta medical students explore LGBTQ health issues

The wait for gender reassignmentsurgery wasone of thetopics discussed Saturday byagroup of medical studentsat a conference focusing on health issues faced by members of theLGBTQcommunity in Alberta.

"If atransperson wants to get bottom surgery,so genital reassignment... there's only one surgeon in Canada who does that through public funding, and that's in Montreal," said DerekFehrwho helpedorganize the conference in Edmonton. "So patients in Alberta have to fly thereand I believe the waiting list is two years or more."

A referral from a psychologist is also needed before getting the surgery, and that can also involve a year or more on a wait list, Fehr added.

• Inclusive Health conference examines health concerns for LGBTQ patients

A group ofUniversity of Alberta medical students started the inclusive health conference four years agoafter noticingsomething was missing from their academic agenda.

"We initially started it because we felt that our medical school curriculum didn't really address any of these issue that we feltwere super key to addressing these health disparities," said Fehr.

"So it started four years ago and it's grown since then and we have lots of faculty support. And it's led to curriculum changes as well."

MarciBowers, a California-based doctor who was a pioneer in gender reassignmentsurgeries, was the keynote speaker at the conference.

She saidCanada needs more surgeonsand better educationto catch up to the United States.

"I would estimate there might be a need for two, to as many as 10, or maybe more surgeons doing the genital surgeries alone," she said.

Fehrhopes events like this conferencewill spark changes in education and awareness about LGBTQneeds.

"I really hope that everyone coming here today, whether they are aphysician, nurse, or social worker, really learn some skills on how to treat the individual in front of them as an individual, and ask questions,"Fehr said.

The university's faculty of medicine has been responsive to adjusting thecurriculum since the first inclusive conference four years ago, Fehr noted.