During Pride Month, we’re reminded that effective communication with LGBTQ+ patients isn’t just about inclusion. It’s also about safety, trust, and clinical quality. Decades of research tell us what many LGBTQ+ patients already know: communication can shape whether you feel safe, seen, or if you’re willing to come back.
If you’re someone who cares about how you communicate with LGBTQ+ patients, you are in for a treat. Jessica Halem specializes in communicating with LGBTQ+ patients. And for Pride 2025, I’m re-posting Part 1 and Part 2 of my interview with her.
We laugh, a lot! Her message is one of encouragement, appreciation, and possibility.
Jessica has spent the past 25 years working in LGBTQ health. First as the executive director of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project in Chicago, to serving on the Board of GLMA which is the largest association of LGBTQ healthcare professionals, to now 10 years in academic medicine at Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania, teaching the next generation of healthcare providers how to care for LGBTQ patients. She currently serves on the Board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation where she built the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory.
In this first half of our chat, she drops so much knowledge you might actually want to take out a notepad. Her insights are as powerful as her joy.
In Part 2, Jessica shares useful phrases and encouragement for the next time you’re speaking with LGBTQ+ patients.
