Trans+ Aware
Cancer Care
The Trans Aware Cancer Care project was an NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) funded research project, which aimed to help improve cancer services for Trans+ people. The project used the BU PEIR Community Research model to work with the community to understand barriers to healthcare and how we can address them.
The project was led by Help & Care alongside partners Macmillan Cancer Support, Beyond Reflections, Bournemouth University, Southampton University Hospital, Wessex Cancer Trust and Wessex Cancer Alliance.
The core work of the Trans Aware Cancer Care project was led by four trans+ community researchers, mentored by Bournemouth University and supported in their cancer understanding through a clinical nurse specialist. The community researchers designed and delivered creative art based workshops where the trans+ community and allies designed a fabric square that visually represented their experience. As well as workshops at local venues, the team visited Pride events across the region, reaching close to 100 people.
The fabric squares created at the workshops have been lovingly sewn together to form a large trans+ flag measuring 6m x 3m. The research team and allies worked together to sew it, with the final artwork unveiled at a Celebration Event on 31st March in Southampton. The plan is that the flag will tour art galleries, hospitals and other places where we can highlight the impact of the experiences.
As well as the flag, the research team have created lots of resources which are shared on the involving people webpage - the main site for this work.
You’ll find a video, a zine, a report of the community researcher reflections, an art book and more. If you want to talk to us about any of this, we’d love to hear from you.
Listen Up.
Tune into these Transvox episodes to learn more about the project, direct from the team.
This week Gillian meets Stevie Corbin-Clarke from Bournemouth University and Katie Munday, one of the community researchers to talk about a new project to investigate and find out about trans+ experiences of Cancer services. They share the progress of their ongoing project; outlining plans for upcoming workshops, pride events, and other initiatives to get access to people to input into the research in creative and engaging ways.
This week, Gillian talks to Kate Jupp and Amanda Durrant who provided an update on the "Whatever It Takes" project. They discuss the project's progress, including the recruitment of trans community researchers and the successful engagement of the trans community and healthcare professionals in discussions about improving healthcare access. The team also discuss the importance of understanding and addressing the experiences and needs of both groups, with a focus on building relationships and developing networks.
In these two episodes, Gillian meets Katie Munday (Community Researcher on the TACC Project) and Dr Virginia Quinney (GP) to discuss trans+ experiences of cancer screening and worries that healthcare providers have. Their conversations highlight the the importance of communication and understanding, from both sides, and the need to work together to ensure the removal of barriers for trans+ people accessing cancer care services as well as healthcare more broadly.
In this episode of Transvox, we’re joined by Abigail Parkes from Beyond Reflections and Emma Leatherbarrow from the Wessex Cancer Alliance, who discuss some of the projects following on from the Trans Aware Cancer Care work and their ongoing collaboration. Emma also discusses the importance of early diagnosis, and the barriers trans people face in accessing adequate healthcare. As well as emphasises the need for personalised support, education for healthcare providers, and collaborative efforts to reduce health disparities.