We would like to send a special thanks to the CAB for helping develop our project’s name, logo, and informative figure.
Our Community, Our Health
What is Our Community, Our Health?
The overarching purpose of the Our Community, Our Health (OCOH) database is to improve the health and wellness of persons in the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community. Our goal is to assemble a TGD-focused national patient-centered clinical data
research network to create a quality improvement and research database to conduct impactful person-centered research based on the care provided and outcomes for TGD persons. We will build upon the secondary database we are currently building at University
of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital of Colorado. The database follows the convention of the Observational Health Data Science and Informatics (OHDSI, pronounced “Odyssey”) community’s OMOP CDM. By conforming to this data
model, we can more easily establish a national clinical data research network with others that also conform to this model.
ENGAGE COMMUNITY – We want to ensure the research performed using the Our Community, Our Health (OCOH) database is driven by the transgender and gender diverse communities. We will engage the transgender and gender diverse communities in throughout the process of building and working with the OCOH database. Our engagement started with the UCHealth Integrated Transgender Program Community Advisory Board. Our next step is to engage a broader stakeholder board with community representatives from our national partners.
SECURELY COLLECT PATIENT DATA – We will rely on data collected through routine healthcare. No identifying data will be shared between institutions. All personal healthcare data will remain confidential and protected by the healthcare institution that collected the data. 
ANALYZE PATIENT DATA – We are building the database with a common data language, following the convention of the Observational Health Data Science and Informatics (OHDSI, pronounced “Odyssey”) community’s OMOP CDM. using a common data language, will facilitate collaborations with other institutions. We will be able to analyze data from multiple institutions thus creating more robust results. 
IMPROVE PATIENT CARE – We will ask research questions that directly apply to the care of TGD patients, such as which form of estrogen is safest for patients with an increased risk of blood clots? Healthcare organizations can also use the data base to better understand where they are falling short in providing comprehensive care for our TGD patients. For example, an organization may want to examine if they are routinely providing age-appropriate cancer screenings for their TGD patients. Once they have an understanding of the care they are currently providing, they can develop interventions to improve their screening processes.
SHARE KNOWLEDGE – We will share knowledge gained from the database through research manuscripts, formal presentations, and through community outreach. We will work with our stakeholder board to ensure we disseminate knowledge gained back to the TGD community. Our Community, Our Health Updates
Our COMIRB Secondary Research Application was approved 11-May-2021 (Exempt).
Funding Updates
Grant Title: Our Community, Our Health: Characterizing Health Outcomes for Transgender and Gender Diverse Patients of UCHealth Integrated Transgender Program and Children's Hospital Colorado TRUE Center for Gender Diversity
Grant Type: GIM Small Grant
Source: Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado
Principal Investigator(s): Danielle Loeb, MD, MPH and Lisa Schilling, MD, MSPH
Co-Investigator(s): Micol Rothman, MD, Sean Iwamoto, MD, and Natalie Nokoff, MD, MSCS
Grant Period: 02/01/2021 - 01/31/2022
Project Description: The overarching purpose of this proposal is to improve the health and wellness of persons in the transgender and gender diverse community. Our goal is to create a high-quality research database to be called, “Our Community, Our Health,” to support the principles of a Learning Healthcare System. The database will include transgender and gender diverse people of all ages seen at the UCHealth Integrated Transgender Program and the Children’s Hospital Colorado TRUE Center for Gender Diversity.
COMIRB Protocol and Status: 20-2302, approved (exempt)
Collaboration Opportunities
If you or your institution are interested in collaborating on this or other related projects, please contact us for next steps.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact Danielle Kline, MS, our Senior Professional Research Assistant, at:
| UCHealth Integrated Transgender Program |
| Our team of professionals at the UCHealth Integrated Transgender Program helps transgender and gender
diverse adults in their journey to achieve their personal health goals. |