Shanna Katz Kattari

Lessons from the Front Lines:  Piloting an Online Platform for Strengthening Community Organization Courses in the School of Social Work Via a Michigan Organizers Video Archive

March 2018 - April 2020

The proposed project aims to create an online platform through which community organizers’ experiences and stories can be captured, taped, and archived in a curated video format and used across multiple classrooms in and outside of the School of Social Work. As an innovative and sustainable teaching model, the project would enhance student learning by integrating Michigan’s community organizers into classrooms using a dynamic digital platform. Lessons from the Front Lines: Community Organizing Archives will feature 15 to 20 organizers in 20-minute videos, sharing their own experiences and their practice, key skills and strategies, lessons from the field, and other information in an interview style setting. These videos will be coupled with short biographies, photos, information about communities/issues, suggested readings, and links to additional resources. For more robust access, the information will be searchable by “type” of practice, and will also have keywords connected to organizers’ profiles. We anticipate partnering with Academic Innovations to create the most user friendly and dynamic online experience while also leveraging the A/V, communications, and technology resources already available to us at the School of Social Work. The videos will be used within multiples community organization social work courses at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, to supplement and enhance current course content. We intend to reach approximately 100 undergraduates and over 200 graduate students annually. This project supports the School’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals to bring diverse voices and experiences into the classroom in new and meaningful ways.

Michigan Trans Health Research Advisory Board

June 2018 - November 2019

The creation of a Michigan Trans Health Research Advisory Board will allow members of the transgender and non-binary community to offer their own input on how research with and about this community should be conducted. This statewide board will create a set of research and recruitment guidelines, a list of research priorities for this population, and instructions on best practices for dissemination of this research. Dr. Kattari is thrilled this CUPS grants will allow board members to be paid for their time and valuable community knowledge, and to ensure this community's wants and needs are centered in the trans research happening here in Michigan.

Health Policy Research Scholar-Matthew Bakko

August 2018 - August 2022

Scholars will attend in-person and online learning seminars and courses, participate in research, attend research presentations, and contribute to publications, concurrently with their doctoral program. These activities are designed to support and enrich the doctoral program. Funding is awarded to support participant’s successful completion of the program.

Trans Sexual/Reproductive Health Photovoice Project

December 2018 - December 2020

Explore more nuanced views of sexual and reproductive health, culturally responsive care, and trans inclusion among transgender/non-binary adults using an innovative and empowerment centered Photovoice methodology.

Paging Dr. YouTube: Exploring How Trans/Nonbinary Individuals Use Technology & Social Media to Access Trans Health Information

November 2018 - December 2020

There are approximately 25 million transgender and nonbinary people in the world, and this community experiences incredibly high rates of health disparities. Many transgender and nonbinary individuals have less than positive experiences with health care providers; 33% have had a negative experience with a provider in the past year regarding their gender identity, and 23% opted not to get needed health care at least once in the past year due to fears of mistreatment because of their gender. Additionally, 33% did not go to a provider in the past year due to lack of funds. Furthermore, only 51% of providers and 19% of office staff report that they feel totally comfortable serving transgender patients. Given these various barriers to care, many transgender and nonbinary individuals use sources other than their medical providers (or in addition to their providers) to obtain information regarding transgender health. Qualitative findings from the Michigan Trans Health Survey as well as interviews with members of the Michigan Trans Health Advisory Board indicate that members of this community often use various online platforms such as YouTube, tumblr, and Facebook groups to ask questions about and/or seek information regarding their own health. Yet the extent to which people find the information they need, whether this information is safe and medically sound, and what the experience of seeking medical information outside of traditional health sources is like for this marginalized population, remains understudied. We, an interdisciplinary team from Social Work, Medicine, and Information, plan to examine how and why transgender and nonbinary individuals seek transgender health related information outside of medical providers, how they use different online platforms, how they assess the accuracy/validity of information they find, and what their thoughts and experiences are regarding who delivers this information. This grant will allow us to conduct a mixed methods study consisting of both online focus groups and a national survey to understand this population’s experiences and needs. Information collected will span transgender health areas including but not limited to general health, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and surgical care. In turn, this preliminary research will set us up to apply for a pilot funding to create and deliver a digital intervention/delivery system of medically accurate information about transgender health topics, created in partnership with the transgender and non-binary population. As such, this research has potential to positively impact the physical and mental health of the broad transgender and nonbinary population.

Understanding Health Status and Barriers to Healthcare for Transgender and Nonbinary University Students

March 2019 - April 2021

While health disparities and barriers to accessing care for transgender and nonbinary people are receiving increased research attention, significant gaps remain in our understanding of transgender and nonbinary university students. In collaboration with transgender and nonbinary students and a multidisciplinary team of campus partners, the purpose of this study is to assess the overall health and resilience of transgender and nonbinary students, their experiences accessing healthcare, unmet healthcare needs, and barriers/facilitators to accessing care.

Pilot: Virtual, Peer-Led Trans Support Groups and Care

Our existing local research substantiates growing mental health concerns for the trans and gender diverse (TGD) community in Michigan and points to gaps in trans-affirming options for mental healthcare. The TGD community deserves accessible opportunities to build healthy coping strategies through trained therapists and/or peer support programs. This grant provides a pilot solution to meet those needs - leveraging existing resources through telehealth technologies (virtual) and TGD peer support specialists (PSS) to meet both extant mental healthcare needs and shortages of TGD affirming providers.