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Scott Jelinek Wins Society for Pediatric Research Award

Associate LDI Fellow Cited for Work with LGBTQ+ Youth

April 1, 2024

By:

Hoag Levins

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Scott Jelinek, MD, MPH, an LDI Associate Fellow and a Fellow in Adolescent Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), has won the 2024 Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) Richard D. Rowe Award for Clinical Research in the wellbeing and care of LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

The SPR is an international professional organization of multidisciplinary clinician scientists. Its Rowe award will be presented at the 2024 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Toronto in May.

Privacy for LGBTQ+ Patients

Jelinek’s honored research focuses on the need for comprehensive data collection and protection of privacy for LGBTQ+ patients.

The study abstract explains that, “Integrating sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data into electronic health records (EHR) increases opportunities for affirmation but risks repercussions like familial rejection or discrimination.”

The study found that LGBTQ+ adolescents exhibited greater discomfort discussing Adolescent Health Questionnaire results, including SOGI, with caregivers present compared to their peers. Overall, it found that adolescents preferred electronic data collection. It cautioned that healthcare providers should be particularly mindful of privacy concerns for LGBTQ+ adolescents and take steps to ensure confidentiality, especially in light of the 21st Century Cures Act, which may inadvertently disclose sensitive information to their caregivers.

Parental Records Access

The Cures Act includes regulations to facilitate patient, family, and provider access to medical records, significantly increasing the types of electronic health information (EHI) that “must be easily and electronically accessible to patients and guardians.”

The project was funded in part by LDI’s 2023 small grant program that provides LDI Fellows with support for early stage projects that would otherwise not qualify for larger NIH or other institutional grants.

A board-certified pediatrician, Jelinek’s overall research investigates ways to leverage health information technology, educational interventions, and clinical innovations to advance the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth in ways that improve access to high-quality health care.

He provides medical care at CHOP’s Adolescent Medicine Specialty Care Center and at the Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic, as well as primary care at the Karabots Pediatric Care Center in West Philadelphia.

Jelinek received both his MD and MPH from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he was a Human Rights and Social Justice Scholar and completed his pediatric residency training. He was also a Public Policy Fellow with the New York Academy of Medicine and completed a Fellowship in Healthcare Consulting and Leadership with Deloitte Consulting in Washington, D.C.