This module is part of a series developed by Harvard Medical School. To get started, click on Take this Course to enroll, then click on the name of the module under Course Content below to begin.
In this module, we’ll walk you through how to develop sensitive and affirming communication skills, which are essential for inclusive, safe, and high-quality medical education experiences with students, as well as clinical care experiences with patients. By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Describe how to engage in respectful and affirming interpersonal exchanges with students, other members of the health care team, and patients regarding gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, and sex development;
- Develop strategies to recover from missteps or handle a situation in the classroom or clinical environment after a microaggression occurs.
These skills and strategies are intended to support all medical educators and clinicians in offering more effective teaching and patient care related to sexual and gender minorities.
Lead author: Alex S. Keuroghlian, MD, MPH
Keuroghlian AS. “Sensitive and Affirming Communication” from the Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Health Faculty Development Module Series. 2022.
