Dr. Jill Drouillard wants to talk about LGBTQ healthcare.

Given the large percentage of nursing students at Mississippi University for Women, Drouillard organized a Trans and Gender Affirming Care Workshop that will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, on Zoom. The event is sponsored by the Philosophy program, the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program, the Nursing program and the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi.

Drouillard, assistant professor of Philosophy and affiliate faculty of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, was a spring 2022 Provost Fellow where she focused on initiatives to raise queer visibility on campus and in the community.

“This is an important discussion to have because there is only one clinic in Mississippi that specializes in transgender healthcare,” Drouillard said. “Many practitioners are not aware of the barriers that trans and gender nonconforming individuals face, whether that is due to a lack of access or a lack of comfortability around practitioners who participate in microaggressions such as deadnaming, not respecting pronouns and general insensitivity to their experiences.”

The workshop will feature Stacie Pace, a nurse practitioner and founder of Spectrum: The Other Clinic, the only transgender specialty clinic in Mississippi; and Dr. Tamsin Kimoto, assistant professor of philosophy and chair of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Goucher College.

Drouillard contacted then Dean of Nursing Tammie McCoy after she was appointed Provost Fellow to discuss the workshop. Brandy Larmon was equally enthusiastic about the event when she took over as dean of nursing, so Drouillard applied for a grant from the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi to help fund the workshop. The organization awarded Drouillard $1,500 to help complement funds provided by The W’s Office of Academic Affairs.

Drouillard said it is exciting to have Pace and Kimoto involved in the workshop because Pace will be able to share her experience as a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner in the South and expertise in transgender healthcare, while Kimoto’s areas of research in queer and trans studies, women of color feminisms and the health humanities will add important insights to the conversation, especially regarding the intersection of race and gender.

“Even though the workshop is geared toward nursing students in that it starts a conversation on how to provide better care for trans and gender nonconforming patients, the event is open to everyone and will hopefully help all participants become better allies,” Drouillard said.

Click the Zoom link to register for the event, which will include a question-and-answer session. Upon registration, participants will receive a passcode to enter the meeting: https://muw.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsduusqTgqE9zLdEpJA461mUN28ZbfU5up

In addition to the workshop, Drouillard is working with Beverly Joyce, W Galleries director, to curate a “Queer Aesthetics” art exhibition that will run Oct. 5-Nov. 10 at The W Galleries and is helping to revive the student club Queerspace, which will have its first meeting of the semester at 6 p.m. Thurs. Sept. 22 in the Gail P. Gunter Room at Fant Memorial Library. Those initiatives come at a time The W has changed its Women’s Studies major to Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.

Drouillard said visibility and awareness about LGBTQ issues and healthcare education are essential for creating understanding and empathy.

“I came up with a project centered on queer visibility after a student said, ‘Trans doesn’t exist in the South,’” Drouillard said. “This student was not trying to be derisive, rather, he had never met a trans person. This isn’t because trans folk don’t exist in the South, but rather many trans and gender nonconforming individuals don’t feel comfortable coming out. Initiatives that promote queer visibility let the LGBTQ+ community know they are supported, and they allow other members of the community to gain exposure to queer experience. This is why diversity, equity and inclusion efforts must make visible a plurality of narratives.”

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 26, 2022
Contact: Adam Minichino
acminichino@muw.edu
(662) 329-1976

COLUMBUS, Miss. — Instruction is only part of Ashley Chisolm’s job as associate professor of legal studies at Mississippi University for Women.

Chisolm also believes it is crucial to assist and support students in part because she remembers how her professors at The W helped her graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies and a minor in Spanish in 2010. She received her Juris Doctorate from Mississippi College of Law in 2013.

“I know firsthand how important it is to build rapport with students because I was given excellent mentorship opportunities from Legal Studies faculty during my time at The W,” said Chisolm, who has been a faculty member at The W since the fall of 2013. “As a faculty member, I want students to know I am rooting for them and their successes just as the Legal Studies faculty supported me as an undergraduate student.”

Chisolm’s willingness to support her students is a key reason why she recently was named The W’s Faculty Member of the Year.

The award was announced at graduation, includes a $1,000 grant from the Alumni Association. It honors faculty members who exhibit excellence in teaching, advising and professional activities — in particular, those who go beyond all expectations to support The W’s students and academic programs.

“It meant so much to me that several students and a colleague thought enough of me to nominate me,” said Chisolm, who is from Meridian. “I never expected to receive such an honor, so I was surprised and overjoyed to be recognized as the MUWAA/Mortarboard 2022 Faculty Member of the Year.”

Sixty-seven students and faculty members submitted nominations that resulted in six nominees. To appear on the ballot, nominees must be nominated by three currently enrolled, full-time students and at least one other full-time, tenured/tenure-track faculty member. Full-time, tenured/tenure-track faculty then vote to select the award-winner from among those nominated. Only full-time tenured/tenure-track W faculty members are eligible to receive the award. Faculty selected in the previous decade are not eligible.

William Balestrino, Christopher Marshall and Nicole Rensink nominated Chisolm for the award. Even though the students are pursuing different majors, they agree Chisolm is always looking out for the best interests of her students, the Legal Studies program and The W.

“I know from personal experience she has always been a phone call away, and she has helped not only advise me through my undergrad experience, but also going into my graduate experience and navigating the early stages of law school,” Balestrino said. “She always has a positive demeanor, and brings an energy that can turn an 8 a.m. class into a party. Leaving The W, I know she will be there for me not only as a former adviser but as a colleague.” 

Marshall said Chisolm always has been an “amazing” teacher, and that he has had her as a professor in mock trial for the past three years. He said Chisolm is open to talk to students and to help them whenever they need it, whether it be as an advocate or as someone who will listen to them.

Rensink said Chisolm has supported her and helped her fiancé prepare for his Honors project and for Law School. She said Chisolm is a hard worker and determined for all of her students to succeed in everything they do.

“She is quirky and sassy, everything to love about a professor,” Rensink said. “What is a professor without a little sass added to it? I have never once seen Ms. Chisolm be negative, and that is how I aspire to be in the future. This is my first semester taking one of her classes, but even then she’s never shied away from helping me even though I am not a Legal Studies student.”

Chisolm said her sense of connection to The W and its amazing faculty motivates her want to work at such a special place. She remembers walking into Rent Auditorium during her commencement ceremony and spotting her mentor and shouting, “I got accepted into law school!” before continuing into the auditorium. Chisolm said she enjoys serving her students and sharing in their enthusiasm when they realize their dreams.

“I have the privilege of witnessing the excitement on students’ faces when they are accepted into law school or another graduate program, when they reach an exciting life milestone or when they land the job that they sought,” Chisolm said. “I get the opportunity to be a small part in their journeys, and I am so thankful for such a fulfilling career.”

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2022
Contact: Adam Minichino
acminichino@muw.edu
(662) 329-1976