ELSIE

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.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute 1R01CA265945-01A1.
Many of the researchers on this study are part of the LGBTQ+ community and/or have had cancer themselves.
This research study is overseen by the University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board (IRB) STUDY00016416.

Elsie Study: Part 1

In 2023- 2024, we conducted interviews with people who have had cancer. We talked to people who identify with a broad range of sexual orientations and gender identities. Participants from many different communities shared their stories with us: those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, those who are heterosexual (straight) and/or cisgender, and people who do not identify with particular labels in regards to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Elsie Study: Part 2

Later in 2026, we will conduct a national online survey of people who have had cancer treatment. We hope that what we learn from the survey will guide cancer research in the future. This study was funded to address the health disparities people face in cancer care. Results from the survey will be shared broadly.