Dear Dr. Raynard Kington (Acting Director, NIH), As concerned researchers, we believe there are significant gaps in knowledge and research on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health in general, and in particular in research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In recent years, wide ranging research in general medical health, mental health, substance use, health services use, and demographic risk factors has begun to identify important sexual orientation and gender identity-related health concerns and disparities. This research is emerging from numerous disciplines including medicine, psychology, epidemiology, demography, sociology, economics, anthropology, and political science. In its role as the leading funder of health-related research in the United States, we request that NIH: 1) Create an inventory of currently funded research to identify: a) which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health issues are being investigated, and b) the extent to which these issues are being investigated and supported, and 2) Fund a report from the Institute of Medicine to: a) examine the current state of knowledge on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health including general health concerns as well as health disparities, b) examine the best methodological practices for investigating health concerns in these communities, and c) develop a strategic plan for investigating and addressing the health concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

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