Why?

In the earlier phase of this study, we engaged transgender and gender diverse cancer survivors who shared their experiences navigating health care and explored possible strategies to support them. Building on what we learned, the purpose of this phase of the Thriving Together study is to voice participants’ experiences with health care and research and improve how gender identity is asked about in these settings.

It was important for participants to feel seen and heard when participating in research. The current recommendations for measuring gender identity may not adequately capture the complexity of gender fluidity or multidimensional nature of gender. Clarity and comprehension of the questions asked, including for transgender, gender diverse, and cisgender people, are essential for inclusivity and improved gender measurement.

Who?

Participants must be at least 18 years old and either enrolled in the Healthy Oregon Project or living in Oregon. This study is open to people with any gender identity.

What will happen?

We will ask you to complete one individual interview (60-90 minutes long) followed by a focus group several months later (90-120 minutes long) with 6-7 other participants via Zoom.

Participants will receive a $40 eGift card after the interview and a $60 eGift card after the focus group.

The Thriving Together study...

• Will result in new gender identity questions to be included in a large population-based study, the Healthy Oregon Project.
• Focuses on learning about experiences with disclosing gender in health care and research settings.  
• Highlights the voices and stories of transgender and gender diverse people to inform development of strategies to improve data collection and health equity.
• Includes review and recommendations from a community advisory board. We will share our findings through publications and community dissemination.

How to Participate

If you are interested in finding out more or have questions, please contact our study team at [email protected]

You can also let us know how to contact you by filling out this form.

   Contact info form

Your participation in this study will only be used for the purposes of research, and your information will be kept confidential.

Research Team

Principal Investigator at Oregon State University: Jessica Gorman, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Principal Investigator at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute: Jackilen Shannon, PhD (she/her/hers)

Co-Investigator at Oregon State University: Jonathan Garcia, PhD (he/him/his)

Trainee at Oregon State University: Stephanie Corey, MPH (she/her/hers)

The study is funded by the National Cancer Institute (3U01CA232819-01A1S1) and Oregon State University College of Health.