BOSTON -- The 2011 Summer Institute in LGBT Population Health convenes July 18 - Aug. 12 at The Fenway Institute and on the campus of the Boston University School of Public Health.

The Institute is a one-of-a-kind advanced program that provides graduate students and early career scholars with foundational training in interdisciplinary theory, knowledge, and methods for conducting population research in sexual and gender minority health.

Editor’s note: Dr. Katz is a physician working in public health. He is a board-certified dermatologist, an Associate Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University, and an Associate Member of the National Coalition of STD Directors. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of organizations with which he is affiliated.

The topic of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) health disparities isn’t an intuitive one. We’re not biologically different than others. But it turns out most of health isn’t governed by biology, but social factors.

Over the years, my fellow LGBT health researchers have been steadily documenting a myriad of ways the discrimination we face takes its toll on our health. As just a few examples: our youth are at higher risk for suicide, too many of us avoid doctors or hide being LGBT to avoid discrimination, and we smoke at much higher rates than others.

WASHINGTON – The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today a plan to collect data to better understand the unique health challenges facing the LGBT community.

Early this month, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius indicated that her department intended to collect this data, and today’s announcement comes alongside the publication of draft standards for health data collection under the Affordable Care Act.