Student-led symposium on patient-centered reproductive healthcare

Abstract

Background: Medical curricula addressing sexual and reproductive health often do not have an adequate focus on inclusivity and trauma-informed care. Failure to address culturally competent approaches toward sexual and reproductive health can result in substandard care for patients from diverse backgrounds. Methods: A Reproductive Healthcare Symposium was hosted to address existing reproductive healthcare curricula gaps. A patient-centered, interdisciplinary lens was used to discuss topics such as providing inclusive care, tenets of trauma-informed care, advocacy tactics, and expanding accessibility for underprivileged communities. This paper examines pre-post learning outcomes from the 2021–2023 symposiums. Results: Each year, attendees felt significantly more comfortable communicating a patient’s reproductive healthcare needs to another health professional, addressing reproductive health-related concerns in their field, evaluating their biases, and managing them. In the 2022 and 2023 conferences, students felt significantly more confident working on an interdisciplinary team to address a patient’s reproductive concerns. Discussion: Student-led conferences offer unique ways to address education gaps regarding reproductive freedoms and gender-affirming care in changing landscapes. These conferences can be tailored to a region’s particular reproductive healthcare needs.