The Offices of Inclusion and Diversity and Student Inclusion and Diversity have collaborated with Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Safe Zone in Medicine team, a student group, to cultivate an inclusive environment that celebrates the diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) community at Wake Forest Baptist Health and within the surrounding  community.

The Safe Zone in Medicine training helps individuals deepen their understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and healthcare-related issues. They build confidence in caring for patients, mentoring students and communicating with colleagues from the LGBTQ+ community, while fostering reflection on topics such as inclusion, discrimination and heteronormative privilege.

Safe Zone in Medicine training consists of an introductory workshop which provides an overview of LGBTQ+ terminology, health disparities and issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. A three-night deeper dive training is also offered. Topics include but are not limited to taking care of transgender patients, intersex health and the coming out process. A rainbow caduceus is given upon completion of this training.

The following Wake Forest Baptist Health providers have completed the Safe Zone in Medicine training:

Emergency Medicine

• Casey Glass, MD
• Marquita Norman Hicks, MD 
• Henderson McGinnis, MD 

Endocrinology

• Joseph Aloi, MD 
• Cynthia A. Burns, MD
• Matthew Gorris, MD
• K. Patrick Ober, MD

Family Medicine

• Daryl Rosenbaum, MD
• Brenda Latham-Sadler, MD
• Claudia I. Tussey, MD, MPH

Infectious Diseases

• Luis Barroso, MD
• Vera Luther, MD
• Katherine Schafer, MD
• Aimee Wilkin MD, MPH

Obstetrics and Gynecology

• William W. Crone, MD, FACOG
• Kimberly Fleming, RN, MSN, CNM
• April Miller, MD, MPH, FACOG
• Brittany Nicosia, NP
• Erica Robinson, MD
• Sarah J. Witsberger, MD
• Amy Howell Wren, CNM

ENT and Speech Pathology

• Lyndsay L. Madden, DO
• Kathryn W. Ruckart, MS, CCC-SLP
• Nicole Amanda Steyl SLP

• Janel Darcy Hunter, MD (pediatric endocrinology)
• Kimberly Montez, MD, MPH
• Sarah A. W. Northrop, MD
• Elizabeth T. Walsh, MD (pediatric endocrinology)

Psychiatry and Behavioral Health

• Catherine Cheek, MA, LPA
• Sebastian Kaplan, PhD 
• James Kimball, MD
• Richard P. McQuellon, PhD

Other Specialties

• Karl Richardson, MD (Cardiology)
• Holly Pilson, MD (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Please email the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, if you are interested in learning more about the Safe Zone in Medicine training.