Adm. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary of health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, addressed transgender health and policy during a recent visit to Vanderbilt.
The event was part of the Spring 2024 Seminar Series for the Center for Research on Inequality and Health. It was co-hosted by the Vanderbilt LGBTQ+ Policy Lab and the Vanderbilt LGBTQI+ Task Force, which was established by the Office of the Provost in 2023 following the enactment of a pair of Tennessee laws banning certain adult cabaret shows and gender-affirming care for minors.
Levine combined her unique perspectives as a pediatrician and a high-ranking government official with her lived experience as a transgender person to comment broadly on LGBTQI+ rights and health and specifically on transgender health, which has been the center of attention recently at statehouses across the nation, including in Tennessee.
HOME IMPACTS HEALTH
Levine argued that because of state laws targeting transgender people, the political and legal context of where people live has become a social determinant of health.
While she acknowledged the enormous challenges facing America's transgender people and those who work on their behalf, she underscored the importance of continuing to work in areas of research, advocacy and clear communication.
"Our goal should be a society in which all people, in all places, thrive, without exceptions," Levine said.
"I am hopeful for a more inclusive future, and we all have a role in making that happen. Raising awareness is an important step, but I hope that we can all work together, across government at the local, state and federal level, across academia, and across professions, to turn that awareness into action."
VALUE OF RESEARCH
Provost C. Cybele Raver also shared remarks during the lunchtime seminar, thanking the admiral for her contributions to public health equity and drawing a parallel between her work and the driving mission of Vanderbilt.
"Today Admiral Levine used an amazing blend of genius, rigor, innovation, equity and a focus on justice to underscore our shared commitment to leverage the power of scientific and scholarly inquiry, to not only lift up but also solve pressing public health challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community," she said. "I am so deeply appreciative of her time today and everything she has done for the nation's, and the globe's, public health."
FOCUS ON INEQUALITY AND HEALTH
Like the Vanderbilt LGBTQI+ Task Force, the Center for Research on Inequality and Health also launched last year as part of Discovery Vanderbilt. It is a joint venture of the College of Arts and Science and the School of Nursing that aims to unite and amplify research covering all areas of inequality and health, including firearms, gun violence, and social and economic inequality.
Both initiatives are led by Kitt Carpenter, E. Bronson Ingram Professor and University Distinguished Professor of Economics and of Health Policy and founder and director of Vanderbilt's LGBTQ+ Policy Lab.
"It is a true honor to host Admiral Rachel Levine at Vanderbilt. She is a trailblazer and inspirational person, and her visit is a perfect reflection of all we are trying to accomplish together at Vanderbilt with the provost-supported Discovery Vanderbilt Center, the LGBTQ+ Policy Lab and the LGBTQI+ Task Force," Carpenter said. "Her visit marks a proud sign of progress for our community."
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