The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) continues to receive federal grant money to support its study on improving the vaginal health of so-called transgender men.
One $316,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, which began in August 2024 and ends in July 2029, is going to Dr. Olivia Van Gerwen, an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases.
According to the description, the grant will focus on the “vaginal health of transgender men (TGM).”
“Despite their significance, vaginal symptoms and infections are poorly characterized in TGM,” the description continues. “This population is underserved and have limited engagement with sexual health services, largely due to discrimination from and mistrust of the medical establishment.”
Federal records state that UAB has already received over $230,000 of the grant’s obligated funds.
Another grant, which reached maturity in October 2024, doled out nearly $440,000 in Health and Human Services (HHS) funds to study the “impact of testosterone use on the vaginal microbiota in transgender men.”
SEE ALSO: UAB gets $158K federal grant to study ‘vaginal health for transgender men’
"Unlike postmenopausal CGW (Cisgender Women), TGM on testosterone also experience elevated testosterone levels," the grant description stated. "The impact of low estrogen/high testosterone on the vaginal microbiota of TGM is unknown and cannot be extrapolated from studies of CGW. Hormonal changes in conjunction with sexual behaviors due to increased sexual desire from use of testosterone could impact the vaginal microbiota of TGM, putting them at risk for bacterial vaginosis and, ultimately, HIV and other STIs.”
Federal spending was a hot topic in the early months of President Donald Trump’s presidency, with the implementation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and shuttering of the United States Agency for International Development.
DOGE initially targeted HHS funding to “woke” initiatives, the term used for programs promoting DEI, “health equity,” and disparities research focused on racial/ethnic minorities or LGBTQ+ people. However, the funding for many of these initiatives has continued.
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