Kameryn Lee, MD, MSPH (she/her) is a physician consultant dedicated to working with organizations that want to approach their work with historically marginalized populations in mind. She has recently launched a new consulting entity, the Radically Inclusive Consulting Collective, to do this critical work.
Prior to this founding, Dr. Lee received her board certification in obstetrics and gynecology, finished fellowship training in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, and served as the Vice President of Medical Affairs and Health Equity at FOLX Health, a telehealth company focused on affirming health care delivery for queer and trans communities.
Now, she digs into her insights on queer and transgender health care, and how solution developers must keep all populations in mind in the innovation process in order to advance health equity.
In Full Health (IFH): Why does equity in health innovation matter to you, either in general or personally?
Dr. Kameryn Lee: Regardless of how creative or innovative you may be, in terms of your ideas to deliver health to populations, it doesn’t matter if you can’t help everyone to live their best lives. That’s the definition of health equity in itself.
I appreciate the unique ways that folks are being innovative with regards to health care delivery but in my opinion, if it can’t reach everyone, including those of us who are pushed to society’s edges — like me, a Black, transgender woman — then it doesn’t matter. I think they know that we exist, but either they aren’t sure how to reach us or don’t care about reaching us. So I have deeply personal reasons for my views and my passion.
IFH: How have your lived experiences and perspectives shaped your work both as a physician and a health leader?
Dr. Kameryn Lee: For me, my lived experience has been one of injustice. I am from rural eastern North Carolina, where a significant number of folks — especially Black folks — not only live in poverty but are in sub-optimal health. That experience and perspective partially helped to shape my decision to go into medicine.
But it’s my additional cross-section as a Black, transgender woman that helped to shape that work in a very specific way. I know that there aren’t many people who have had the opportunity to have my education as they occupy the same space in society that I do. And for me, it’s a blessing, but with that blessing comes some responsibility.
And I consider all of this — where I came from and where I am now — as I figure out how to advance health equity and medical justice in this country.
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SUBSCRIBEIFH: In 2021, you participated in a webinar with Dr. Aletha Maybank about prioritizing equity and reflecting on Pride Month. What key message do you hope members of the In Full Health Learning & Action Community take away after watching this webinar?
Dr. Kameryn Lee: That entire discussion is still relevant and my feelings haven’t changed. I talked about rainbow capitalism. I talked about for-profit entities that target LGBTQ+ folks for retail, for health care, and for other services — use our likeness in their advertising, but don’t meaningfully give back to the community. I mentioned the societal erasure of Black transgender women. I hope that no one who listens to the discussion between Dr. Maybank and me decides to be complacent. If you listen and take no action, then all you did was just listen. You didn’t hear me.
“Prioritizing Equity: Celebrating and Reflecting During Pride Month”
IFH: Where can health providers or health tech innovators start if they want to further their own education on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ patients?
Dr. Kameryn Lee: There is no single source. I always believe that the place to start if you want to learn about any particular population of people is with that population of people. You can read all the textbooks, read all the journal articles, listen to the media — but until you are able to interact directly with people from that community and hear our stories, then nothing else matters.
Innovators have to find a way to speak to us first before just diving into the data and diving into the numbers. If you’re not community-oriented, we don’t want to hear from you.
IFH: During this past year, you were a part of the inaugural cohort of the Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship — how has this opportunity helped you expand or focus your work in the LGBTQ+ health space?
Dr. Kameryn Lee: It seems difficult to believe, but finding allies and people who are equally as passionate as I am about health equity is harder than you might think.
Expressing Gratitude
The AMA Center for Health Equity and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine had a difficult job when they chose the inaugural class of Medical Justice in Advocacy fellows. The 12 physician members of the first cohort were already well on their way to becoming authoritative voices in national and international health equity, and I am blessed to be amongst the number. The powerful institutions help us build a platform for our voices, and I look forward to continuing my relationship well after our fellowship is complete.
Dr. Kameryn Lee, MD, MSPH
Founder, The Radically Inclusive Consulting Collective
My experience would be much less valuable without the inspiration and encouragement of my fellowship peers, and they match my passion. Power lies in allyship, and it is this particular aspect of my fellowship experience that emboldens my voice and comforts me in friendship. Each fellow is a force all by themselves.
IFH: What advice would you give solution developers or other health influencers when it comes to developing health solutions for the transgender community?
Dr. Kameryn Lee: I want to reinforce to those developers and influencers to include us — trans folks — on your boards, in your leadership suites, and in every other area where your organization plans on touching people.
If we look at the LGBTQ+ population as a whole, the people who are the most affected by health inequity and social injustice are the “T” people. Not to say that the “LGB” folks don’t have challenges, and not to say that all trans people necessarily have challenges — but in general, the “T” has a different experience.
One of the things that we learn to ask early in medical school to our patients is, do you feel safe at home? Do you feel safe in your environment? And if somebody says no, we know that can directly affect their health. So, I would urge health innovators — those who practice medicine every day, or anybody else who touches the health care sphere — to ask everyone, especially trans women of color, “Do you feel safe? Are you in any danger?”
Trans folks who seek care in your office or on your innovative platform are special people. Why? Because any of us, including those of us with the most education, can walk into the street today and end up not being here tomorrow. We’re alive, and most of us don’t take that for granted. So day-to-day, as you consider who you’re seeing in the office and who you’re targeting for your new health platforms, remember that it’s easy to rattle off the acronym LGBTQIA … but you should pause, smile, and clap when you say “T”.
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