The first Vito D. Imbasciani, M.D.’85 and George Di Salvo LGBTQ Health Equity Lecture took place at the University of Vermont College of Medicine on Friday, December 12 in the Sullivan Classroom in the Larner Medical Education Center. Presented by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the UVM College of Medicine, the inaugural lecture, titled “It’s a Rainbow World: Caring for a Diverse Population,” was presented by Imbasciani.

Established through a generous gift from Imbasciani and his spouse, George DiSalvo, M.D., the Imbasciani-DiSalvo Lectureship Endowed Fund at the University of Vermont College of Medicine aims is to ensure the preparation of culturally-competent physicians who can provide medical care and prevention services that are specific to LGBTQ populations. 

Imbasciani, a urologic surgeon at Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Los Angeles, Calif., serves as chief medical officer for the California State National Guard, and as a member of the California Medical Association’s board of trustees. He has a long history as an advocate for such issues as health care reform, veteran medical programs and improved public health policy. An officer in the medical corps of the U.S. Army for more than 28 years and a veteran of two wars, Imbasciani completed four active duty tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this service, he was unable to acknowledge or discuss his gay status throughout his military career, and therefore, unable to have his spouse or children onsite upon departure for deployments or returning home from war. In June 2012, he was selected to introduce President Barack Obama at a fundraising event in Los Angeles, Calif. While delivering his remarks, Imbasciani, whom the president recognized as a source of inspiration for his 2010 repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, said “thanks to the unyielding efforts of President Obama, I can serve my country openly and proudly, with my family at my side.” He currently serves the College of Medicine as a Class Agent. In addition to his M.D., Imbasciani holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Cornell University and was a Fulbright Scholar recipient. Prior to attending medical school, he served as a professor of music history at Middlebury College.

If you missed the lecture, watch the video here. ”For more information about the lecture, contact the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.