Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Managing diversity dynamics in academic or clinical settings for men in nursing has unique challenges resulting from their minority status within the profession. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to share challenges and lessons learned identified by male scholars in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program and suggest strategies for creating positive organizations promoting inclusive excellence. METHODS: Multiple strategies including informal mentored discussions and peer-to-peer dialogue throughout the program, formal online surveys of scholars and National Advisory Committee members, and review of scholar progress reports were analyzed as part of the comprehensive evaluation plan of the program. DISCUSSION: Diversity dynamic issues include concerns with negative stereotyping, microaggression, gender intelligence, and differences in communication and leadership styles. CONCLUSION: Male nurse faculty scholars report experiencing both opportunities and challenges residing in a predominately female profession. This article attempts to raise awareness and suggest strategies to manage diversity dynamics in service of promoting the development of a culture of health that values diversity and inclusive excellence for both men and women in academic, research, and practice contexts.

BACKGROUND: Mental health and HIV disparities are well documented among sexual minorities, but there is a dearth of research on other chronic conditions. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Although sexual minorities have high rates of several modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (including stress, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption), there is a paucity of research in this area. OBJECTIVES: In this systematic review, we synthesized and critiqued the existing evidence on cardiovascular disease among sexual minority adults. SEARCH METHODS: We conducted a thorough literature search of 6 electronic databases for studies published between January 1985 and December 2015 that compared cardiovascular disease risk or prevalence between sexual minority and heterosexual adults. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included peer-reviewed English-language studies that compared cardiovascular disease risk or diagnoses between sexual minority and heterosexual individuals older than 18 years. We excluded reviews, case studies, and gray literature. A total of 31 studies met inclusion criteria. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: At least 2 authors independently abstracted data from each study. We performed quality assessment of retrieved studies using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. MAIN RESULTS: Sexual minority women exhibited greater cardiovascular disease risk related to tobacco use, alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, poor mental health, and body mass index, whereas sexual minority men experienced excess risk related to tobacco use, illicit drug use, and poor mental health. We identified several limitations in the extant literature. The majority of included studies were cross-sectional analyses that used self-reported measures of cardiovascular disease. Even though we observed elevated cardiovascular disease risk, we found few differences in cardiovascular disease diagnoses (including hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol). Overall, 23 of the 26 studies that examined cardiovascular disease diagnoses used subjective measures. Only 7 studies used a combination of biomarkers and self-report measures to establish cardiovascular disease risk and diagnoses. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Social conditions appear to exert a negative effect on cardiovascular disease risk among sexual minorities. Although we found few differences in cardiovascular disease diagnoses, we identified an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease in both sexual minority men and women. There is a need for research that incorporates subjective and objective measures of cardiovascular disease risk. Public Health Implications: Cardiovascular disease is a major health concern for clinicians, public health practitioners, and policymakers. This systematic review supports the need for culturally appropriate interventions that address cardiovascular disease risk in sexual minority adults.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations to strengthen cardiovascular disease research with lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults and highlight implications for practice. BACKGROUND: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals face significant discrimination that negatively impacts their health. Health disparities in lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults has focused on mental health, sexually transmitted infections, and substance use. Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and many lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults report increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease, there has been limited research in this area. DESIGN: This paper is a critical review. METHODS: A literature search was conducted that compared cardiovascular disease risk and/or prevalence between LGB and heterosexual adults. RESULTS: Measures to assess cardiovascular disease risk factors and diagnoses varied widely across the 31 included studies. There was a lack of standardization in definitions used for alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, mental health, and self-rated physical health. Most studies that reported body mass index relied on participant self-report. Few studies included measures of physical activity and diet and those that did lacked standardization. Only seven studies used laboratory data to establish presence of disease to establish diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first comprehensive review on this topic. In cardiovascular disease research with lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults there is a need for: 1) inclusion of stress as a risk factor for CVD, 2) standardized measures, 3) objective measures for determining presence of cardiovascular disease, 4) data from electronic health records to strengthen the study of cardiovascular disease in this population