The mission 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 mission, the program will focus on five areas: institutional climate and visibility, community outreach, health education, research, and patient care.
Leadership
Director
Baligh R. Yehia, MD,
MPP, MSHP
Director
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.
Associate Director
Rebecca Hirsh, MD
Associate Director
Rebecca Hirsh, MD graduated from Brown University and Brown Medical School. She completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Rhode Island Hospital/Miriam Hospital followed by a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Hirsh joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. She currently serves as the Director of Inpatient Oncology Services in the Division of Hematology and Oncology.
Dr. Hirsh's clinical expertise is in hematologic malignancies. She formerly served as the Chair of the Montgomery County Adolescent HIV/AIDS Taskforce and Director of Lutheran Children and Family Services HIV Peer Education Program.
Associate Director
Judd D. Flesch, MD
Associate Director
Judd D. Flesch, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine, Site Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and Associate Director of the Penn Medicine Program for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health.
Dr. Flesch graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry. He received his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a 21st Century Scholar. He completed his internal medicine residency and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Flesch's main interests include graduate medical education, both at the residency and fellowship levels. He served as Chief Medical Resident at Penn from 2009-2010, and he served as the Mayock Chief Fellow in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care from 2012-2013. His interest in LGBT health dates to medical school, when he led the Sexual Orientation Medical Awareness (SOMA) group, which aimed to educate undergraduate medical students about specific issues faced by LGBT patients.
Program Advisor
Neil Fishman, MDP
Program Advisor
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.
Program Coordinator
Daniel Calder, MPH
Program Coordinator
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.
Senior Fellow and Fellows
To recognize and support the many faculty, staff, and trainees at Penn and affiliated health systems who focus on LGBT health, the Program offers two membership tracks:
- Senior Fellow - Any faculty or staff appointee at Penn or affiliated health systems who has an established or emerging interest in the area of LGBT health. Senior Fellows serve as leaders in LGBT health at Penn, proactively arranging activities that advance the field of LGBT.
- Fellow - Any trainee at Penn or affiliated health systems who has an established or emerging interest in the area of LGBT health.
If you are interested in becoming a Senior Fellow or Fellow for the Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health, complete this application form.