Some images on this webpage courtesy of Disabled And Here.
The Elsie Study
The purpose of the Elsie Study is to improve how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people are included in cancer research studies. We will do that by listening to people across the United States who have had cancer, to understand their experiences. Not everyone who participates in the study identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. At the end of this five year study, we will share what is learned with community members, other researchers, healthcare providers, and research funders.
The Elsie Study is:
Based in Minneapolis at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Conducted entirely online so there is no need to meet in-person.
Led by Principal Investigator Dr. B. R. Simon Rosser as part of the Sexual Health Research at the University of Minnesota (SHRUM) program.
The Research Team
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health
Principal Investigator:
Co-investigators:
Staff:
Program Director: Gudrun Kilian
Research Coordinator: Allie Vanden Heuvel, MPH
Research Coordinator: Rhea Alley, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant: Ben Weideman, MS
Graduate Research Assistant: Lauren Love Pieczykolan, MPH
Undergraduate Research Assistant: Wes Samuelson
Institute of Sexual and Gender Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Medical School
Michael W. Ross, MD, PhD, MPH, MHPEd, MSt
Adult and Geriatric Health, School of Nursing
Kristine M.C. Talley, PhD, CNP, RN
Department of Writing Studies
†In memoriam.
Collaborators
Tulane Cancer Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
*Denotes former affiliation with the University of Minnesota.
Publications
Selected Publications
- Rosser, B. R. S., Weideman, B. C. D., Rider, G. N., Jatoi, A., Ecklund, A. M., Wheldon, C. W., Talley, K. M. C., Kulasingam, S., Smith, M. K., Jacobs, D. R., Mitteldorf, D., West, W., Alley, R., & Ross, M. W. (2023). Sexual and Gender Minority Invisibility in Cancer Studies: A Call for Effective Recruitment Methods to Address Cancer Disparities. Journal of Clinical Oncology: Official Journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 41(33), 5093–5098. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.00655
- Weideman, B. C. D., Ecklund, A. M., Alley, R., Rosser, B. R. S., & Rider, G. N. (2025). Research Funded by National Institutes of Health Concerning Sexual and Gender Minoritized Populations: A Tracking Update for 2012 to 2022. American Journal of Public Health, 115(3), 374–386. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307913
Media Requests
DiGiulio, Sarah. Research Representation of Sexual & Gender Minority Individuals. Oncology Times 46(2):p 12,21, February 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/01.COT.0001007156.65468.ae
Contact the Elsie Study
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-626-3841 (Voicemail line only)
Address: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health 1300 S. 2nd St. Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55455