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ABSTRACT
In January 1999. the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report on lesbian health research that fulfills 3 goals: it provides an extensive review of much of the research that has been done on the health of women who have sex with other women, it addresses the methodological and ethical issues inherent in conducting research on this population, and it suggests avenues for further research. This report will likely help lesbian health researchers gain funding, publish further research in medical journals, and receive support and validation from medical and research institutions. To ensure that such research is useful, benefits the lesbian community, and expands the understanding of lesbian health conditions, particular attention needs to be paid to the methods and definitions used and to the involvement of the lesbian community in designing, implementing, and analyzing the research itself. (Am J Public Health. 2001:91:873-875)
For decades, health providers, researchers, and lesbian health activists concerned about the medical establishment's lack of attention to lesbian health issues heard a constant refrain from research funders, medical journal editors, and public health authorities: "Give us published research on these issues and we will listen to you." The classic catch-22 of this response has frustrated the lesbian health community: Without funding we cannot do quality research, without quality research we cannot get published in medical journals, without being published in medical journals we cannot convince health experts that a health need exists, without proving to health experts that a health need exists we cannot get funding for research, prevention, or programs.
Then, Dr Vivian Pinn was appointed director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a heterosexual woman, she was an unlikely leader in the lesbian health movement, but she has had a significant impact. Encouraged by the advocacy of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender health activists across the country, Dr Pinn found a way to address the need for research on lesbian health.
Through Dr Pinn's efforts, the NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to produce a report on lesbian health research priorities. As a significant institute within the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM is perhaps the most...