Reneishia Dogan
Tennessee native and University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate student Reneishia Dogan returned home in the summer of 2018 to serve as the Pathways to Practice Scholar for OUTMemphis. As a liaison between resources and the LGBTQ community, OUTMemphis offers programs and services that empower, educate, and advocate for the LGBTQ community of the Mid-South region. With OUTMemphis, Reneishia worked to alleviate health disparities in the LGBTQ community by revising the Trans Best of Memphis survey and resource guide, compiling a comprehensive list of insurance companies that cover costs and surgeries related to transitioning, participating in community outreach, and reviewing literature about HIV criminalization in Tennessee.
During Transgender Awareness week (November 12-17, 2018), the data from her Trans Best of Memphis survey will be highlighted and published in the Trans Best of Memphis Guide. The Guide will include gender transition information that Reneishia organized, including medical steps of transition, financial resources, and personal grants. Reneishia notes learning that “[physical] health is not the only need” for transgender individuals. The Guide also helps connect transgender people with criminal justice legal program, referral services, peer social support, youth homelessness and housing, and senior services.
Reneishia reflects, “OUTMemphis taught me the important lesson of empathy. I am encouraged to dedicate my work on creating, modifying, and assisting with the implementation of healthcare policies that allow for and encourage the inclusion of all minority populations, [including] the LGBT community.” She plans to graduate in Spring 2019 with her Master of Public Health degree in Health Care Organization and Policy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.