WPATH's Global Education Institute Announces Its New Committees and Upcoming Events - February 2022 Update
We want to update you on the expanded Global Education Institute (GEI) Committees, and provide an outline of upcoming courses and events for this year.
Global Education Institute Committee Update
We were excited to receive applications from over 60 eligible candidates for the GEI Committees, and 52 members were invited to be part of the committee structure. As per our last newsletter, we have divided the Global Education Institute volunteers into 6 GEI Committees, with all Committee Leads making up the central GEI Steering Group. Applications were submitted, Committee Leads were appointed, and then the fully formed Steering Group worked to review and appoint their committee members.
We are thrilled to announce and welcome the following Leads and Members for the Global Education Institute’s Committees:
GEI Certification & Mentorship Committee
The Certification & Mentorship Committee is dedicated to ensuring that members meet/continue to meet the requirements to obtain/maintain their WPATH GEI certification. The Committee will review and monitor the mentoring process of members through their individual and group mentorship agreements.
The Committee’s goal also parallels GEI’s mission to increase access to competent compassionate clinicians worldwide. The Certification & Mentorship Committee will work to expand the GEI Certification program globally by making connections to/collaborating with providers and community organizations.
Leads: Lin Fraser, EdD, MFT, LPCC, BC-TMH; Jennifer Slovis, MD
Members: Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH; Jared Boot, MA, CST; John Capozuca, PhD; Maurice Garcia, MD, MAS; Alireza Hamidian Jahromi, MD, MRCS; Jennifer Oates, PhD; Georgios Pagkalos, MD, FECSM, IDFAPA; Elke Zschaebitz, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
GEI Curriculum Development Committee
The Curriculum Development Committee will focus on establishing the core curricular components for GEI trainings about transgender healthcare. The GEI curriculum framework is based on a set of four competency domains that have global applicability: Patient/Client-Caregiver Relationship; Content Knowledge; Interdisciplinary Practice; and Professional Responsibility.
Committee work will include establishing objectives that map to the standardized competency-based framework such that essential content provided to attendees will be consistent across trainers. The Committee’s work will serve to assist trainers by maintaining educational resources. The committee will also work to update core curricular components to remain consistent with the incoming SOC8 and with new literature in the field as it emerges.
Leads: Scott Leibowitz, MD; Joshua Safer, MD
Members: Jon Arcelus, MD, PhD; David Azul, PhD, CPSP; Dianne Berg, PhD; Gayathri Chelvakumar, MD, MPH; Maddie Deutsch, MD, MPH; Maurice Garcia, MD, MAS; Lisa Griffin, PhD; Ole-Petter Hamnvik, MB BCh BAO, MMSc; Ame Lopez, MD; Ximena Lopez, MD; Ulrika Nygren, PhD, SLP; Amy Penkin, MSW, LCSW; Katherine Spencer, PhD, LP, CST; Carl Streed, Jr., MD, MPH; Erika Sullivan, MD, MS; Barbara Warren, PsyD, LMHC, CPXP
GEI Diversity, Inclusion, & Community Engagement Committee
The Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Committee (DICE) will find creative ways to include marginalized or under-utilized contributors to the curriculum development and/or course delivery in every topic area. When programs are regionalized, the Committee will ensure that regional representatives are included and foregrounded in both program development and delivery.
Leads: Samuel Steinbruegge, LCSW; Wallace Wong, PsyD
Members: Anne Dilenschneider, PhD, LPC-MH, LPCC, LMHC; Carla Rosinski, PhD, LMHC, CST; Ernestina Tecú, MD; Evett Key, LCSW; Iva Zegura, MA; Michael Stinnett, PsyD; Moira Ryan, LPC, ACS; Naro Alonzo, BA, RPm; Pier-Maude Lanteigne, MD; Sachin Nagendrappa, MD, DNB, MNAMS
GEI Faculty Development Committee
The Faculty Development Committee will identify qualified individuals who are interested in teaching healthcare professionals to work with the trans/gender diverse community. Our goal is to increase faculty diversity of all forms (gender identity, race, region, age, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, ethnicity, faith/spirituality, and more). The WPATH GEI curriculum is the basis of the material that faculty use in their presentations.
Leads: Jens Berli, MD; Ren Massey, PhD
Members: David Azul, PhD, CPSP; Ole-Petter Hamnvik, MB BCH BAO, MMSc; Ame Lopez, MD; Davia Loren, MD; Sofía Madrid, MA; Rebecca Meacham, PhD; Georgios Pagkalos, MD, FECSM, IDFAPA; Luann Racher, MD
GEI Fundraising & Grant Writing Committee
The Fundraising & Grant Writing Committee will support and advance the interests of WPATH and GEI through generating additional revenue streams. Our goal is to create a long-term, sustainable platform to further the Association’s educational goals and objectives by seeking funding opportunities and preparing/reviewing grant applications. The committee will develop boilerplate language on behalf of WPATH/GEI to facilitate funding opportunities.
Leads: Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH; Loren Schechter, MD
Members: Michelle Crossley, PhD, LMHC, NCC; Geolani Dy, MD; Jamison Green, PhD, MFA; Jim Hotaling, MD, MS, FECSM; Sachin Nagendrappa, MD, DNB; Amanda Summers, LPC, NCC, MS
GEI Global Outreach Committee
The Global Outreach Committee will consist of representatives from WPATH’s global partners, such as International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM), World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), etc. The Committee will collaborate with global professional organizations to form partnerships to increase access to training and access to care for T/GD individuals worldwide.
Lead: Gail Knudson, MD, FRCP, MEd
Upcoming GEI Courses & Events
We wanted to give a heads up regarding the 2022 course/event schedule, we know everyone is anxious to keep on learning and we hope you will join us for many of these.
Please stay tuned for our official announcement with dates and details for registration.
March - August 2022
September 16 – 17, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in conjunction with the WPATH 27th Scientific Symposium
- LIVE Foundations (2-day course) – the curriculum is being updated to align with the Standards of Care, version 8 (SOC8).
- LIVE Advanced Mental Health - the curriculum is being updated to align with the Standards of Care, version 8 (SOC8).
- LIVE Advanced Medical - the curriculum is being updated to align with the Standards of Care, version 8 (SOC8).
- LIVE Workshops
October - December 2022
- Virtual Foundations Course
- Virtual Advanced Mental Health Course
- Virtual Advanced Medical Course
- Virtual Advanced Workshops
Thank you for taking the time to read our update and helping us to welcome all your colleagues as part of these essential GEI Committees and we look forward to seeing all of you throughout the year!
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Gail Knudson, GEI Medical Co-Chair
Dr. Ren Massey, GEI Mental Health Co-Chair
