Care in Living Color: A Primer for C-L Practitioners on Integrated Care for Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Persons

Transgender and gender non-binary persons experience astonishingly high rates of mistreatment, discrimination, healthcare disparities, and mental health concerns (James et al. 2016). Mistreatment of transgender and gender non-binary persons extends alarmingly into healthcare settings. In contrast, gender-affirming family environments and healthcare settings, as well as gender affirming medical and surgical treatments, correlate with improvement in mental health and quality of life amongst transgender and gender non-binary persons (Almazan et al. 2021, Colizzi et al. 2014, Reisner et al. 2016).

Interdisciplinary care teams, including consultation-liaison practitioners, are in a unique position to provide gold standard gender-affirming care, as well as advocacy for transgender and gender non-binary persons within and between healthcare systems.

This pre-conference skills course aims to equip the integrated CL practitioner with essential knowledge, skills, and strategies for providing compassionate, evidence-based, gender-affirming care for transgender and gender non-binary persons across the continuum of care. We will utilize interactive lectures, case vignettes, Q&A, audience self-reflection, examination of systems of care, and panel discussion to support active learning.

Brant Hager MD is the Program Director for the UNM CL Fellowship and an attending psychiatrist at Truman Health Services, a patient centered medical home for people with HIV and transgender persons living in New Mexico. Dr. Hager will address the epidemiology of mental health concerns amongst transgender and gender non-binary persons, and the mental health effects of gender-affirming healthcare.

Max Lichtenstein MD is the Director of Psychiatry at the Institute for Advanced Medicine and Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai. Dr. Lichtenstein will address the evolution of standards of care for transgender and gender non-binary persons, gender-affirming healthcare system design, and strategies for CL practitioners as advocates across the continuum of care.

Molly McClain MD, MPH is the Residency Program Director for the UNM Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Medical Director of the PRISM and Deseo Clinics. Dr. McClain will delineate the spectrum of gender-affirming medical and surgical care options, and strategies for primary care practitioners as advocates across the continuum of care.

Kimberly Kalupa PhD is a clinical psychologist on staff at Truman Health Services, a patient centered medical home for people with HIV and transgender persons living in New Mexico. Dr. Kalupa will discuss common psychotherapeutic concerns presented by transgender and gender non-binary persons, as well as strategies for clinical psychologists as advocates across the continuum of care.

Almazan AN, Keuroghlian AS. Association Between Gender-Affirming Surgeries and Mental Health Outcomes. JAMA Surg. 2021 Jul 1;156(7):611-618.

Colizzi M, Costa R, Todarello O. Transsexual patients’ psychiatric comorbidity and positive effect of cross-sex hormonal treatment on mental health: Results from a longitudinal study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014;39:65-73.

James SE, Herman JL, Rankin S, Keiling M, et al. The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. National Center for Transgender Equity 2016, Washington, DC

Reisner SL, Biello KB, Hughto JMW, et al. Psychiatric diagnoses and comorbidities in a diverse, multicity cohort of young transgender women: Baseline findings from Project LifeSkills. JAMA Pediatrics 2016;170(5):481-486