From Diagnosis to Dignity: LGBTQ+ Lives and Cancer Care
June 23 @ 8:00 pm EDT
Join Sharsheret for a conversation that will explore the LGBTQ+ cancer experience. Alexandr Trifonov, BCS, Program Coordinator – LGBTQ+ Cancer Care and Research Program for NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, will share lifesaving information about LGBTQ+ cancer screening health disparities and tools for navigating the cancer journey for LGBTQ+ folks before, during, or after diagnosis. The program will also feature stories from Gabriel Glissmeyer and Sandra Chefitz who will share their own experiences with self-advocacy. This program is open to all including members of the LGBTQ+ community, family, friends, healthcare professionals and allies.
Sponsors: Cooperative Agreement 24-0061 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
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Community Partners:
Speaker Bios
Alexandr (Alex) Trifonov, MBS, (He/Him) is the Program Coordinator for the LGBTQ+ Cancer Care and Research Program at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. In this role, he actively navigates and advocates for patients across the cancer care continuum — from screening to diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship — within an LGBTQ+-proficient framework. He coordinates research and quality improvement projects and contributes to institutional efforts to advance equity and inclusion. Alex chairs the center’s LGBTQ+ Staff and Faculty Task Force and serves on multiple advisory councils across the NYU Langone Health system. His work spans patient advocacy, staff education, community engagement (outreach and education), and health equity research, with a focus on social drivers of health in LGBTQ+ communities, including LGBTQ+ immigrants. He has presented at national and international conferences on LGBTQ+ cancer navigation and health disparities and contributes to several peer-reviewed publications and interdisciplinary studies. Alex holds a Master of Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers University and is dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ health through research, education, and clinical care.
Gabriel Glissmeyer, MPH (He/Him) is a long-time LGBTQ+ health professional with a background in tobacco prevention, oncology, and HIV. As a transgender adoptee, Gabriel has had to navigate a family history of cancer while being confronted with a healthcare system not built for transgender people or adoptees. Fueled by his own adverse experiences with healthcare and public health systems, he has used this as a springboard to create national programming, educate healthcare providers and public health workers, and bring awareness to equity issues.
Sandra Chefitz (She/Her) is a VP at Munich Re North America Life. She and her wife, Marian, split their time between Brooklyn and Upstate NY.
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