Current Events

05/08/09 - Second Look Mixer

GLAAM members will be attending the Second Look mixer for prospective medical students at the Grad Center Bar at 8:30pm. Look for the "rainbow" paraphernalia!

05/09/09 - Second Look Luncheon

GLAAM members will also be attending the Second Look Luncheon at Andrew's Dining Hall from 12:30 to 1:45, for any prospective students that may have questions or just want to get to know us!

05/09/09 - SNMA Health Fair

GLAAM will have a table on sexual health and LGBTQ issues at the SNMA Health Fair at the Salvation Army of 386 Broad Street, Providence, RI. The health fair runs from 12:00pm to 5:00pm.
Past Events

2/12/08 - Marriage Equality RI Rally at the State House

Members of GLAAM and the Brown Queer Alliance turned out in force at the RI State House for the Marriage Equality Rally held by Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI)! The rally occured in support of legislation in the state of Rhode Island to provide marriage equality for same-sex couples.

12/01/08 - World AIDS Day Talk: Sex in a World of HIV/AIDS

In honor of Worlds AIDS Day, R. Bobby Ducharme from the Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI came to Brown University and gave a presentation on HIV and AIDS and safe sex practices. A number of students from the medical school attended the interesting and informative talk. The event was sponsored by GLAAM and the Family Medicine Interest Group.

11/15/08 - Protest of Proposition 8 at the RI Statehouse

Members of GLAAM turned out at the Rhode Island Statehouse along with hundreds of others in protest against the passing of Proposition 8 in California on November 4th. The proposition had altered the Californian state constitution to define marriage as only the union between a man and a woman, thereby infringing on the right of same-sex couples to marry in that state. This protest is one of many that occured across the nation as part of Join the Impact. Pictures of the protest can be found in the Proposition 8 Rally album.

10/30/08 - Denial of Marriage Equality is a Public Health Issue

On Oct. 30th GLAAM members met with Susan MacNeil, Director of Development and Communications for Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI), to discuss marriage equality and its relationship to health. MERI is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and dedicated to securing marriage equality to same sex couples in Rhode Island. Our discussion was driven by the question: how will legal recognition of same-sex couples through marriage positively affect the physical and mental health of partners, their families and communities? We discussed the legal battles being fought in California and Connecticut, where Rhode Island stands on same-sex marriage, the impact of equal treatment on health and whether health-related arguments are being used in debates around the country. Thank you to Flavio Casoy for bringing GLAAM in touch with this wonderful speaker and for his contributions during the event. See our Links page for more about MERI.
Future plans with MERI: GLAAM is working with Susan MacNeil to invite Charlene Strong to Brown for a showing of and conversation about her documentary, "For My Wife." This event is slated for sometime in February.

9/15/08 - Makini Chisolm-Straker Discusses Trans Health Issues

Fourth year Brown Medical Student, Makini Chisolm-Straker (going into Emergency Medicine) spoke with GLAAM at a lunch-time session, on Monday Sept. 15th, about her longitudinal at Children's Hospital in Boston, working with trans-identified children and their families and adults. She set up the longitudinal, working with world-famous pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Norman Spack, after learning of the traumatic experiences of trans-patients in emergency departments.
During the session, Makini discussed what she'd learned during the past 4 months of the 6 month longitudinal. Discussion included GeMS (Gender Management Service) clinic, how a trans-adult or familial-supported trans-child might present, what a pertinent exam (including history, physical, labwork, imaging) might entail, when and how hormone treatments are started and continued, when surgery might be considered, the role of specialists versus primary care in the care of trans-patients and the construction and performance of gender in Western society.
Makini expressed her deep thanks and honor at being invited to speak with GLAAM and can be contacted for questions about trans-identified patient care or setting up a longitudinal at Makini@Brown.edu.

Summer/Fall 2008 - GLAAM Collaborates with the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Committee

Thank you to Pojen, Sarah, Pat and Makini for your summer work on the LGBTQ medical student questionnaire. Through our combined effort, we created a thorough list of multiple choice and open-ended questions that would allow LGBTQ medical students to provide information about the cultural, academic and advocacy-related aspects of their medical schools as they relate to LGBTQ issues and life. Through collaboration with the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Committee, our ideas have been integrated into the Medical Student Directory, accessible on the AMSA site. Working with AMSA, we helped contribute to a database that will be used by LGBTQ medical school applicants around the country as they make important decisions regarding their next four years. Members of the Brown LGBTQ medical student community are encouraged to contribute to this directory and to spread the word to friends at other schools! Thank you so much to Laura Erickson-Schroth, Chair of the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Committee, for providing us with this opportunity. See the Links page to be taken to the Directory.