LGBTQ+ Healthcare: Module 8 - Affordable Care Act and Inclusive Healthcare

Dates and Times

End Date: 4/13/2029

Objectives

1. Describe the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its impact on healthcare access
2. Summarize the importance of Section 1557 of the ACA on access to LGBTQ+ inclusive care
3. Identify challenges facing the ACA and, in turn, LGBTQ+ healthcare access during the first Trump administration
4. Identify the potential challenges facing the ACA and LGBTQ+ healthcare access today
5. Summarize the importance of the LGBTQ+ inclusive non-discrimination protections at the federal level

Authors:

Dr. Rhea Debussy - Module 8 Lecturer

Rhea Debussy, Ph.D. (she/her) is a nationally recognized transgender rights activist and the inaugural Director of External Affairs at Equitas Health, which is one of the largest LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS serving healthcare organizations in the country. In her role, Rhea is responsible for setting the government relations agenda for the agency and for developing the agency’s legislative advocacy strategy at the state and federal levels. Additionally, she is also a Lecturer in the Dept. of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University. Rhea’s work – which broadly focuses on healthcare policy, American foreign policy, and LGBTQ+ politics – garnered the attention of the Biden Presidential Transition Team in fall 2020. Her work has been published by The Conversation, Bust Magazine, Purdue University Press, and others; her current book project is under contract with Columbia University Press.

Shannon Winnubst - Project Manager

Dr. Shannon Winnubst is Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University. She specializes in queer studies, neoliberalism, and race/racialization in the United States.

Ali Alkhalifa - Curriculum Designer & Coordinator

Ali Alkhalifa (he/him or they/them) is the Education Program Specialist for the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department. Ali helped research and coordinate with various lecturers with whom he co-created the LGBTQ+ healthcare content. He received a B.A. and M.A. in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and is passionate about feminist pedagogies, media analysis, and LGBTQ+ health disparities.

Alex Souza - Curriculum & Instructional Designer

Alex Souza, M. Ed, is an Instructional Designer in the Office of Distance Education within the College of Arts and Sciences. Alex is passionate about making learning experiences more inclusive and engaging. He prioritizes empathy when considering the learner's experience and while collaborating with stakeholders and colleagues.

Jessica Henderson - Curriculum & Instructional Designer

Jessica Henderson is a Senior Instructional Designer at Ohio State, specializing in accessible, inclusive, and engaging online learning experiences. Her interdisciplinary background spans curriculum development, distance education, foreign language instruction, and quantitative and qualitative analysis. Grounded in Universal Design for Learning and UX design principles, her work emphasizes motivation, Gameful learning, scenario‑based learning, and active learning strategies in online environments. She currently serves as the lead expert in designing immersive digital educational escape rooms and pioneering creative uses of AI in education, supporting innovative online teaching practices and alternative assessment strategies.

Sarah Dove - Curriculum & Instructional Designer

Sarah Dove holds a PhD in Comparative Studies from The Ohio State University, an MA in Dance Theories and Practices from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a BA in Music and Business from Otterbein College. For the last eight years, Sarah has invested significant time working in curriculum and instructional development in higher education with keen attention to access pedagogy and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice frameworks. Sarah is very proud to have supported the LGBTQ+ Healthcare CEU project during planning and early development stages. This initiate is an important resource for healthcare professionals to bolster point-of-care for marginalized individuals.

Matthew Carter - Audiovisual Production Specialist

Matt brings expertise in instructional video and podcast production and editing, photography, software recordings for complex technical training, case-based simulation videos, and more.