The Importance of Gender Inclusive Terminology in Anatomy Education

Current medical and health care programs lack formal and longitudinal integration of gender inclusive curricula, including consistent and up to date use of gender inclusive language. This roundtable presentation will focus on how moving towards more gender inclusive language when teaching pelvic anatomy will benefit the professor-student relationship between anatomy educators and their students. Gender neutral language also creates a framework for future medical practitioners to obtain gender inclusive histories with their patients. Patients who are gender minorities are often subject to gender dysphoria during pelvic examinations due to a lack of gender inclusive language and clinical training among medical students in the traditional medical school curriculum. The current use of pelvic anatomy language can subject transgender and gender expansive students to feeling ostracized or like an invisible demographic in the classroom setting. We must teach students culturally sensitive language before students begin clinical practice to promote effective patient-provider relationships, thereby optimizing outcomes for transgender and gender expansive patients (i.e "person who is pregnant" or "person with a prostate"). This session will address several questions relevant to developing a gender inclusive classroom environment. A lecture-style presentation will be given followed by small group discussion to address the following questions: How do you create a learning environment that is inclusive to all students? How do you incorporate pre-established curricula into your courses to gender inclusive cultural sensitivity and language? © FASEB.