Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health

Vision and Goals

The vision of the Program for LGBT Health is to improve the care of LGBT populations by becoming a local and national leader in LGBT patient care, education, research, and advocacy. To accomplish this vision, the program will focus on five areas:

  • Institutional climate and visibility — Nurture and support diversity in the workplace, classroom, and healthcare settings.
  • Research — Foster research on the optimal ways to improve care for LGBT patients and families.
  • Patient Care — Provide patient and family-centered care for LGBT patients and families.
  • Health Education — Enhance education of students, residents, and faculty in relation to LGBT health issues and health disparities.
  • Community Outreach — Increase Penn Medicine's community involvement and partner with community organizations to address LGBT health disparities and improve access to high quality care.

Leadership

  • Photo of Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSHP

    Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSHP
    Director – Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health

    Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSHP is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Penn Medicine Program for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees with honors from the University of Florida. After medical school, he completed an internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Master of Science in Health Policy Research from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master in Public Policy from Princeton University.

    Dr. Yehia's main research focuses on evaluating health outcomes in individuals with HIV infection, with an emphasis on the HIV care continuum (HIV diagnosis, linkage to care, retention in care, prescription of antiretroviral therapy, and viral suppression); and on interventions aimed at improving the healthcare environment for LGBT populations. His scholarship has appeared in top medical journals, including JAMA, Academic Medicine, LGBT Health, and the American Journal of Public Health. For his innovative research, he was awarded the 2013 Young Investigator HIV Award from the American Society of Microbiology and is a member of the University of Florida Hall of Fame.

    Dr. Yehia is active in organized medicine, contributing to the development of health policy on access to care, performance measurement, and public health. He currently chairs the American Medical Association GLBT Advisory Committee and the Scientific Committee of the 2014 LGBT Health Workforce Conference.

  • Photo of Neil Fishman, MD

    Neil Fishman, MD
    Program Advisor - Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health

    Neil Fishman, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Associate Chief Medical Officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System. He completed his medical and residency training at Temple University and infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

    His teaching and scholarship focus on infection control and antimicrobial resistance. He directed the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology and Infection Prevention and Control Programs at the University of Pennsylvania Health System for over 10 years. He is the past president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and past Chair of the Antimicrobial Resistance Working Group for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

    He has been honored for his teaching, research, and service receiving the Donald B. Martin Department of Medicine Teaching Service Award, Maurice F. Attie Department of Medicine Faculty Teaching Award, and The Infectious Diseases Society of America Abbott Achievement Award.

  • Photo of Daniel Calder, MPH

    Daniel Calder, MPH
    Program Coordinator – Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health

    Mr. Calder serves as the Program Coordinator for the Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health.  He earned his Masters in Public Health at Rutgers University with a concentration in Health Education, Behavioral Science and LGBT Health.  At Rutgers University, Daniel was inducted into Delta Omega, the Honorary Society in Public Health.  He earned the Bernard D. Goldstein Award for academic excellence and the Anna Skiff Award for his innovative fieldwork study on the risky health behaviors of homeless LGBT youth.

    Daniel is a Certified Health Education Specialist and has designed and implemented health education programs at several LGBT homeless shelters and LGBT youth centers in New York City and Newark, NJ.  Daniel continues to serve as an advocate for homeless LGBT youth and the health of all LGBT individuals.