9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions

Ann Burgess, D.N.Sc., Chair, Committee on Lesbian Health Research Priorities, University of Pennsylvania

9:30 a.m.

An Overview of Lesbian Health: Historical and Developmental Perspectives

Donna Futterman, M.D., Adolescent AIDS Program, Montefiore Medical Center, and Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

10:00 a.m.

Lesbians as a Diverse Population: Who Are We Talking About?

Moderator: Judy Bradford, Ph.D.

Lesbians: Defining the Population

Meaghan Kennedy, M.P.H., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Who Is Lesbian? (The Low Interrelationships Among Sexual Orientation, Sexual Behavior, Years Out, Disclosure of Sexual Orientation, and Participation in the Lesbian Community)

Esther Rothblum, Department of Psychology, University of Vermont

Economic Issues for Lesbians

Lee Badgett, University of Massachusetts and Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies

11:15 a.m.

The Contextual Framework: Barriers to Conducting Research on Lesbian Health

Moderator: Bruce McEwen, Ph.D.

Ethical Issues in Conducting Research with Lesbians

Larry Gostin, Georgetown University Law Center

Research on Lesbian Health: Challenges for University

Researchers

Caitlin Ryan, Washington, D.C.

Researcher and Community Collaboration: Issues and Barriers to Working Together

Joyce Hunter, D.S.W., Community Liaison Program, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University

12:15 p.m.

LUNCH

1:00 p.m.

Designing Studies on Lesbian Health

Moderator: Larry Norton, M.D.

Designing Effective Studies of Lesbian Health Issues

Susan Cochran, Ph.D., M.S., Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health

Challenges and Opportunities in Research Design

Jocelyn White, M.D., Oregon Health Sciences University

Health Services Research: Working with Hard-to-Reach Groups

Debra Rog, Ph.D., Center for Mental Health Policy, Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies

Research Design and Causation

Margaret Rosario, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, City College, City University of New York

2:30 p.m.

Scheduled Public Testimony

Methodological Issues in Research on Lesbian Health

Alice Dan, Ph.D., Center for Research on Women and Gender, University of Illinois at Chicago

Strategies for Obtaining Representative Samples/Measurement of Sexual Orientation

Ann Pollinger Haas, Ph.D., Department of Health Services, Lehman College, City University of New York (representing the Women's Health Survey)

Involving Communities in Research on Lesbian Health

Amelie Zurn, M.S.W., Silver Spring, Maryland

2:50 p.m.

Cancer and Lesbians

Deborah J. Bowen, Ph.D., Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

3:20 p.m.

BREAK

3:30 p.m.

Scheduled Public Testimony

Lesbians and Cancer

Beverly Baker, Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer

Lesbian Experiences and Breast Cancer

Linda McGehee, Ph.D., R.N., Georgia State University School of Nursing

3:45 p.m.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases—An Issue for Lesbians?

Jonathan Zenilman, M.D., Infectious Disease Division, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

4:15 p.m.

The Challenges of Providing Health and Mental Health Services to Lesbians: Issues of Access and Barriers to Care

Moderator: Gloria Sarto, M.D.

Joan Waitkevicz, M.D., Gay Women's Focus, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York

Teresa Cuadra, M.D., Gay Women's Focus, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York

4:45 p.m.

Scheduled Public Testimony

Integrating Sexuality into Health Care and the Need for Information on Lesbian Health

Christopher Portelli, J.D., Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States

Lesbian Health Curriculum for Medical Schools

Devi O'Neill, Center of Excellence for Women's Health, University of California Medical Center at San Francisco

Implications for Health Care Service and Delivery and Lesbians' Access to Care

Beverly Saunders Biddle, M.H.A., National Lesbian and Gay Health Association

Cultural Proficiency: A Cornerstone to the Success of Managed Care

Nancy Kennedy, Dr.P.H., Office of Managed Care, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SAMHSA

5:15 p.m.

Final Questions

5:30 p.m.

Adjourn

9:00 a.m.

Opening and Welcome

Ann Burgess, D.N.Sc., Chair, Committee on Lesbian Health Research Priorities, University of Pennsylvania

9:15 a.m.

Instrumentation and Disclosure

Moderator: Sam Friedman, Ph.D.

Disclosure of Sexual Orientation in the Nurses' Health Study II

Patricia Case, Sc.D., Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School

New Methods for Surveying Sensitive Behaviors

Charles Turner, Ph.D., Research Triangle Institute, Washington, D.C.

Measuring Health

Ronald Wilson, National Center for Health Statistics (retired)

10:30 a.m.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues for Lesbians

Moderator: Cynthia Gomez, Ph.D.

Overview of Mental Health Issues for Lesbians

Marjorie Sved, M.D., Adult Psychiatry, Dorothea Dix Hospital, Raleigh, North Carolina

Tonda Hughes, Ph.D., R.N., University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing

Overview of Substance Abuse Issues for Lesbians

11:15 a.m.

HIV/AIDS and Women Who Have Sex with Women

Rebecca Young, National Development and Research Institute, Inc., and Columbia University Division of Sociomedical Sciences

11:45 a.m.

Scheduled Public Testimony

Lesbians and HIV: The Invisible Crisis

Amber Hollibaugh, Women's Education Services/Lesbian AIDS Project, Gay Men's Health Crisis

12:00 noon

LUNCH

12:45 p.m.

Sampling Strategies for Studies on Lesbian Health

Moderator: Donna Brogan, Ph.D.

Probability Sampling for Research on Lesbian Health

Graham Kalton, Ph.D., Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland

Building Relationships: Sampling Methods for Diverse Communities

Elizabeth J. Rankow, PA-C, MHS, Consultant, Oakland, California

U.S. Census Data: Uses and Limitations for Research on Lesbian Health

Martin O'Connell, Ph.D., Fertility and Family Structure Branch, U.S. Bureau of the Census

2:00 p.m.

Scheduled Public Testimony and Final Discussion

Elisabeth Gruskin, Kaiser Permanente

Charlotte Patterson, Ph.D., American Psychological Association

Nina Carroll, Fenway Community Health Center, Boston Fenway's Research Experience

Winnie Stachelberg, Human Rights Campaign

3:00 p.m.

Adjourn