Mission & Vision for Transgender Health
Our Transgender Health Program at University of Utah Health is committed to providing comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care for gender diverse individuals in a supportive, affirming environment. We are a patient-centric, multidisciplinary gender health program for all gender journeys across the lifespan.
Our Values
- Intersectionality: We will recognize the unique social and political identities that exist within gender diverse individuals and advocate to remove inequalities within healthcare.
- Coordinated Care: We will provide coordinated care through patient navigation and provider communication on all aspects of care.
- Research: We will engage in research to advance knowledge and well-being for the care of gender diverse individuals.
- Education: We seek to educate providers, trainees, and the public on the needs and health of gender diverse individuals.
Our program is in accordance to the recommendations of numerous professional organizations including (but not limited to):
- American Medical Association
- American Nurses Association
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- The Endocrine Society
- American Psychological Association
- American Psychiatric Association
- National Association of Social Workers
- American Speech Language Hearing Association
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- American Urologic Association
- American Academy of Family Physicians
Meet Our Leadership
Our core leadership team meets on a monthly basis to ensure the success of our program. This is supplemented with a bi-annual meeting where all Transgender Health Program providers and staff participate to share thought leadership ideas and improvements.
Administration
Program Coordinator: Ariel Malan (she/her), MHA, leads the program's strategy development, coordinates community outreach and manages the development of university-wide learning programs on the topic of transgender health and gender diversity.
Clinical Leadership
- Medical Director: Cori Agarwal, MD
- Surgical Director: Jeremy Myers, MD
- Co-Medical Directors: Erika Sullivan, MD and Bernadette Kiraly, MD
- Adolescent Program Director: Nikki Mihalopoulos, MD
- Education Director: Joanne Rolls, PA-C
- Urology Program Lead: Jim Hotaling, MD
- Plastic Surgery Program Lead: Isak Goodwin, MD
- Gynecology Lead: Marisa Adelman, MD
- Fertility Lead: Erica Johnstone, MD
- Outreach Leads: Norelle Walzer, PA-C and Pamela Mathy, PhD
Transgender Health Program Advisory Board: This group of patients and family members of patients meet quarterly to develop program improvements.
Transgender Health Advocacy
- insurance benefits and coverage,
- legal name and gender marker changes,
- training and education,
- increasing access to primary care services,
- research on our communities to improve health outcomes,
- continually meet accreditation with the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index, and
- transgender and gender diverse content in medical student education.
Hear from Our Patients
Gender Affirmation Does More Than Affirm—It Heals
When River Jude August arrived for surgery, they faced yet another challenge in their long journey to align their body with who they know they are. River, who identifies as agender—or outside the female/male binary—had already changed their legal gender to X. They had transitioned socially, opted for several medical treatments, and now faced their biggest surgery yet. River was about to undergo phalloplasty, the construction of a phallus.
Authentic Life Begins Thanks to Transgender Health Program
Jace was standing in the bra section of a clothing store with his mom when suddenly he began to cry. Jace hadn’t been the kind of kid who struggled with his gender identity from a young age. But when puberty hit and his body became more feminine, it didn’t feel right.
Pioneering Patient Finally at home in Her Own Body
“I definitely feel complete. I feel whole. But that doesn’t describe it… that doesn’t even begin to describe it,” beams Josie Jesse as she sits, finally comfortable, in her new body that reflects who she has always been. Although she belongs to the larger community of transgender individuals, Josie is one of a kind: she is the first patient ever to undergo comprehensive gender confirmation surgery at University of Utah Health.
Give Today
Every dollar helps advance transgender health research and provide patients with opportunities and support throughout their journey.
We Want Your Feedback
We are constantly evolving as a program and welcome any feedback from the community that will help us meet our mission to provide safe, gender-affirmative care at University of Utah Health. Please email us at transgenderhealth@hsc.utah.edu.