Chicago LGBT Health Advisory Council announced

Chicago, IL - Sixteen community leaders have been appointed to the new Chicago Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health Advisory Council, which was announced Friday by Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Commissioner Bechara Choucair, M.D.

"Chicago's LGBT community leads the nation in so many important ways," said Dr. Choucair. "With this new Council providing insight, support and expertise, I am confident Chicago will soon lead the nation in LGBT health innovation and activism."

The new council is tasked with providing insight and input for city leaders determining policy affecting the health and well-being of Chicago's LGBT population. Specifically, the Council will aid CDPH in implementing the city's LGBT Health Action Plan, which was launched by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012 and outlines 22 specific strategies to improve the overall health of Chicago's LGBT community.

This announcement was timed to coincide with National LGBT Health Awareness Week, which is a week dedicated to promoting LGBT Health and Wellness nationwide.

"Chicago's strength is in the diversity of its communities, and I am committed to ensuring that all Chicagoans have access to the care and information they need to live healthy lives and contribute fully to the vibrancy of our city," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "This advisory council will lend important insight and knowledge to our efforts."

Council members are appointed for either one or two year terms, renewable for one additional two-year term. The sixteen members were selected from a pool of more than forty qualified applicants.

"The Council that has been assembled represents the best and brightest from across Chicago," Dr. Choucair continued. "Together, we will make Chicago's LGBT community the healthiest and strongest in the nation."

The LGBT Health Advisory Council Appointees are as follows:

Gloria Allen - LGBT Senior Activist and Volunteer, Center on Halsted

Hope Barrett, MPH - Deputy Director, Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children; Board Member, LGBT Aging Issues Network

Román Buenrostro - Director of Special Projects, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Owen Daniel-McCarter, Esq. - Practicing Attorney and Founder, Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois

Kelly Ducheny, Psy.D. -Psychologist and Director, Behavioral Health Services at Howard Brown Health Center

Kim Hunt, MPP - Executive Director, Affinity Community Services; Instructor, Harris School for Public Policy, University of Chicago

Travis Gayles, M.D./Ph.D. - Pediatrician, Clinical Instructor and Research Fellow at the Center for Gender, Sexuality and HIV Prevention at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Anthony Gonzalez - Plus Training Fitness Professional at David Barton Gym

Manuel Hernández, M.D./MBA - Principal, Cannon Design; Fellow, American College of Emergency Physicians

Poj Lysouvakon, M.D. - Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director, General Care Nursery, University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital

Alicia Matthews, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing; research focused on tobacco use in LGBT communities

Brian Mustanski, Ph.D. - Associate Professor and Director, IMPACT LGBT Health and Development Program, Northwestern University

Kevin Osten, Psy.D. - Psychologist, Core Faculty and Director, LGBTQ Mental Health and Inclusion Center at Adler School of Professional Psychology

Steven Karl Rosemurgy - Board Chair, Heartland International Health Center

Modesto Valle - CEO, Center on Halsted

Serena Worthington - Director of Community Advocacy and

Capacity Building, SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders)

From news release