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Libby VanWyhe, an outdoor educator, doesn’t identify as one gender or the other. So when they tested positive for the BRCA gene, putting them at increased chance of developing breast cancer, they learned first-hand what it’s like for a nonbinary patient to navigate the realm of women’s health. Now they’re using their experience to educate others, including clinical care teams.
The video also features Megan Frost, MD, a general surgeon with APP, who shares how VanWyhe’s story has made her challenge her own assumptions.
“Having increased empathy and awareness about someone like Libby could positively change our ways of approaching patients,” says Kitty Sallas, who produced the video with Shea Quinn. “It is inspiring how this empowered person speaks of their path to undergoing a difficult and painful journey to ultimately save their own life.”
The ABIDE committee will host a webinar with VanWhye and Dr. Frost on this topic in September.
Learn more
- Not Putting on a Shirt
- Surviving Breast Cancer (aesthetic flat closure)
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Proud to support Pride Month
Pride Month recognizes the impact that LGBTQI+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally.
In honor of Pride Month and in the spirit of celebrating individuality, gaining new perspectives, and respecting differences, the ABIDE committee would like to recognize our peers, our patients and community members who are part of the LGBTQI+ community and honor their contributions.
We stand in solidarity with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which states: “We celebrate the courage and resilience of the LGBTQI+ community, and stand beside them in the fight against violence, hatred and bigotry. Today and every day, HHS remains deeply committed to protecting the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans.”
ABIDE
Learn about the Asante Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity initiative on the committee’s new SharePoint site.
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2 Comments. Leave new
That was so well done! Thank you Libby for sharing your experience and educating us further on gender fluidity and our unintentional biases . I still have a lot to learn. This would be such a great video to share with healthcare providers statewide or even nationally.
Thank you for this incredibly well done piece. I learned so much from this video, and the message is so powerful. I feel like Libby belongs on Ted Talks to open up her message to a wider audience, so that more people can become open and understanding and accepting of the beautiful differences in our species, and how much we can learn to be better human beings as we learn from each other!