Sexual and Gender Diversity Advisory Council (SAGDAC)

The Sexual and Gender Diversity Advisory Council (SAGDAC) is a multidisciplinary, cross-institution gathering of faculty, staff, and students who serve as a think tank and hub to support the LGBTQ+ community at Duke. 

SAGDAC is an inclusive organization with representation from clinical specialties within the School of Medicine, across Duke Health entities, as well as other organizations such as the Office of Institutional Equity, DukeMed Pride, Nursing, the Duke Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (CSGD) - University Campus, Duke Law School, and LGBTQ+ members of our community and allies. Together, SAGDAC provides advanced consultation and leadership in developing innovative LGBTQ+ clinical services, research, and educational programs, while also facilitating community engagement and connecting our community through the Duke Health OutList. 

Contact us for more information about any of the initiatives below. 

 

Current Efforts

When entering information into medical records, clinicians may benefit from guidance about appropriate language and terminology. SAGDAC is available to provide support and guidance in this regard. 

Members of SAGDAC, the ODI, and partners across Duke are collaborating to build new OutList of self-identified LGBTQ+ or LGBTQ+ allies with membership from across all stakeholder groups and Departments, Centers or Institutes from across the School of Medicine.  

The new, improved OutList will update in real time and include mentorship opportunities for intersectional racial/ethnic identity groups, create mentoring opportunities for staff, faculty, learners; and identify LGBTQ+ health content experts to highlight across the Health System.  

All members of the School of Medicine who would like to join this list are invited to do so by filling out a brief survey here. 

Duke University School of Medicine will evaluate and refine its best practices for providing care and support to the LGBTQ+ community in collaboration with various stakeholders to address problems and take concrete action steps for improvement on an ongoing basis.

Members of SAGDAC review the School’s Learning Management System (LMS) modules for accurate medical information for consistency in providing care to LGBTQ+ patients. SAGDAC members will then work with content experts to make any necessary revision to the content.

Duke OIT’s self-service portal provides the option for anyone at Duke to review and update their pronouns, chosen/preferred first name, and directory photo, as well as manage where these details are shared. 

Members of SAGDAC are creating a plan to engage a team of educators who can facilitate learning on LGBTQ+ topics for all previously exempted faculty, staff, and learners. 

Members of SAGDAC are also developing a plan to ensure educational initiatives are effective and efficacious. 

SAGDAC members will encourage all Duke employees who have concerns about discrimination and harassment based upon LGBTQ+ status in clinical interactions between patients and Duke employees as well as between Duke employees to report them to hospital risk management or the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE).

SAGDAC members are working to ensure that all Duke Health buildings have single-stall, gender-inclusive restroom facilities. All of these facilities will be added to a current Duke University gender inclusive bathroom map, a standalone map for the Health System, and a mobile app for all members of the community. 

SAGDAC is working to ensure that all communications from Duke Health uses gender-inclusive, non-binary friendly communications. This work will include policies, best practices, and recommendations on how to make language inclusive for all patient/provider interactions. For more guidance and information for support, please see resources below.

Resources and Referrals