Transform Health Arkansas: A Transgender-Led Partnership Engaging Transgender/Non-Binary Arkansans in Defining Health Research Priorities

Background: Transgender/non-binary (trans/NB) individuals face major challenges, including within health care.

Objectives: Transform Health Arkansas (THA) engaged trans/ NB Arkansans in defining their greatest health-related concerns to inform responsive, partnered, participatory research.

Methods: The THA partnership engaged trans/NB individuals through an interactive, trans/NB-led process in nine summits across the state and collected surveys on research interests. Descriptive analysis examined respondent characteristics by gender identity, mode of survey completion, and most pressing concerns.

Results: The summits, attended by 54 trans/NB and 29 cisgender individuals, received positive evaluations. The top five priorities among 140 survey respondents included (1) transition-related insurance coverage, (2) access to transition care, (3) education of health care providers, (4) public education, and (5) supportive health care systems. The THA has also led to trans/NB individuals educating a range of audiences about transgender issues.

Conclusions: Next steps include dissemination, identification of evidence-based interventions addressing prioritized issues, and joint development of a research agenda.