SAEMF/ADIEM Research Grant - $6,000

"Emergency Department Avoidance and Hesitancy to Seek Care Among LGBTQ+ Young Adults"

In addition to experiencing numerous health disparities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) people have been known to delay or avoid medical care and have less consistent primary care. However, their interactions and care experiences with the emergency department are not well understood, especially among sexual minorities and LGBTQ+ youth. This study will address these knowledge gaps by identifying reasons why young LGBTQ+ individuals delay or avoid emergency care and exploring how intersectionality affects health seeking behaviors and access to acute care among young adult sexual minorities. This study is expected to inform innovative, timely, and patient-driven interventions to address emergency department avoidance and delays in seeking care among LGBTQ+ communities.

Recipient(s)

  • Elaine Hsiang, MD

    Elaine Hsiang, MD

    Stanford University

    "Emergency Department Avoidance and Hesitancy to Seek Care Among LGBTQ+ Young Adults"

    Elaine Hsiang, MD, is a social emergency medicine fellow and clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and completed her emergency medicine residency at UCSF, where she also served as chief resident.

    Dr. Hsiang's research focuses on LGBTQIA+ health, particularly its intersections with substance use, health professions education, and emergency care.

    Dr. Hsiang is an active member of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), contributing to the SAEM Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) LGBTQIA+ Committee and the SAEM Social Emergency Medicine and Population Health Interest Group. In recognition of her work, Dr. Hsiang received an SAEM Foundation Grant for her project on emergency department avoidance and hesitancy among LGBTQIA+ patients.