Tiffany Ho, MD, MPH, FAAFP, received the 2024-2025 Health Studies Fund F. Marian Bishop Award for her application titled, "From coverage to care: (in)consistent healthcare insurance and cancer screening outcomes for transgender and gender diverse adults who receive care within University of Utah Health."
Dr. Ho will investigate health insurance coverage patterns between transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adults and cisgender adults receiving care within University of Utah Health (UUH). Additionally, she will explore how these insurance patterns affect cancer screening rates for cervical and breast cancer between TGD and cisgender adults seen within UUH.
“We know TGD adults face higher health care disparities, many of which are influenced by social determinants of health such as health insurance coverage. For example, transgender men or non-binary adults may be overlooked for cervical cancer screening,” said Dr. Ho. “It is important to identify how often this occurs and how we can close the gaps.”
She will collaborate with several faculty researchers from the Division of Public Health: Mia Hashibe, PhD, MPH; Esther Chun-Pin Chang, PhD, MPH; Sharon Talboys, PhD, MPH; and Tess DeAtley, PhD.
“This research is just the beginning of understanding how to improve both access to care and quality of care for TGD adults,” added Dr. Ho.
The F. Marian Bishop Award is a prestigious internal grant from the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM), providing $40,000 annually. This award honors the legacy of F. Marian Bishop, PhD, MSPH, who served as the department’s second chair from 1984 to 1994.