Pride Month spotlight: All of Us means everyone

06/01/2023

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The LGBTQ+ community, like many other underrepresented populations, has often been left out of health and medical research. As a result, scientists know less about their health and ways to provide the best care. The All of Us Research Program wants to change this.

An initiative of the National Institutes of Health, the All of Us Research Program aims to build the largest and most diverse database of health information to improve health for future generations. One of the keys to doing this is increasing representation among research participants, including the LGBTQ+ community. Greater representation among research participants means improvements in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, allowing researchers to conduct thousands of studies on health and disease.

The All of Us Research Program is a historic effort to collect and study data from one million or more people living in the United States. The goal of the program is better health for all of us; the mission is to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs, enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all of us.

University of Arizona and Banner Health's role as partners of the All of Us Research Program

All of Us UArizona-Banner has enrolled more than 63,500 participants across the state in this important health initiative. More than 80% of All of Us UArizona-Banner participants are from communities historically underrepresented in biomedical research, while more than half are part of a historically underrepresented racial or ethnic group.

More than 80% of All of Us participants are from communities historically underrepresented in biomedical research; more than half represent a race or ethnicity that has been underrepresented.

People from the LGBTQ+ community, like many other underrepresented populations, have often been left out of research. As a result, scientists know less about their health and ways to provide them with the best care. The All of Us Research Program wants to change this.

“One of the goals of the program is to ensure equitable representation in health research to communities that have traditionally been underrepresented, including the LGBTQ+ community,” said Francisco Moreno, MD, contact principal investigator for All of Us UArizona-Banner and associate vice president of equity, diversity and inclusion for the University of Arizona Health Sciences. "By working closely with community partners in the LGBTQ+ community, our aim is to increase awareness, provide information and education, and build trust to further the representation of the community in All of Us. Through diverse engagement, the program is building a data resource for scientists seeking to benefit the community by learning how factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and environment affect each individual’s health.”

Last June, All of Us UArizona-Banner announced “Pride365,” a year-long series of community events focusing on the LGBTQ+ community. Events included community-building activities, celebrations of art and history, health education sessions and political debates.

“We enthusiastically affirm All of Us UArizona-Banner’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community not just during Pride Month, but year-round,” Moreno said. “We launched this community outreach campaign to embrace our partners, create opportunities for them to engage, provide educational and health services and have some fun celebrating together.”

The University of Arizona and Banner Health are still calling on volunteers in Arizona and Northern Colorado to help make history and change the future of health. The health data individuals share will be added to the All of Us database.

Who can join the All of Us Research Program?

At this time, you can join if you are:

  • 18 years or older
  • Able to consent on your own
  • Currently living in the United States
  • Not currently incarcerated
  • Certain medical procedures, such as receiving a blood transfusion or undergoing dialysis, may temporarily prevent individuals from providing a blood sample as part of this program. If you have had a blood transfusion in the past six months or are undergoing dialysis, please let us know when you call to schedule your appointment.

Ready to Join the All of Us Research Program?

  • Visit the All of Us website
  • Download the All of Us app
  • Call All of Us UArizona-Banner at (877) 268-2684
  • Visit one of the All of Us locations in Arizona and Colorado