Introducing the Global Education Institute 

Dear WPATH Members,

On behalf of the WPATH GEI Steering Group, we are pleased to formally announce the evolution of the Global Education Initiative to the Global Education Institute (GEI).

This change comes under GEI’s new Strategic Plan, which was developed by the GEI Committee and Key Volunteers and subsequently approved by the WPATH Board in 2020, to reflect the development and continued expansion of GEI programs and activities since the Global Education Initiative became part of WPATH’s strategic planning process in 2013.

After more than 7 years of strategic planning and organization, we have successfully developed an array of programs and activities including but not limited to:

• WPATH GEI Core Curriculum Courses (Foundations, Advanced Mental Health, Advanced Medical Treatment, Advanced Child & Adolescent, Advanced Ethics, and Advanced Planning & Documenting) which were launched in 2016 and have reached more than 5000 attendees across the globe
• WPATH GEI SOC7 Certification and Mentorship Programs, with 150 members Certified and over 400 members on the path to Certification
• Global partnerships and collaborations with various NGOs, health organizations, and community groups working to bring our curriculum to providers in all settings
• WPATH Journal Club, Book Club, and many more!

Given the continued expansion of these and other programs, the GEI Strategic Plan outlines a hub and spoke model for the Global Education Institute, where initiatives plans of the GEI Steering Group (the hub) are put into action by the work of the GEI Committees (the spokes).

This new model gives members the opportunity to increase their engagement and involvement in GEI and creates a pipeline for future leadership.

Please watch the video below for more information from Dr. Gail Knudson and Dr. Ren Massey, Co-Chairs of GEI. If you are interested in getting involved, please read below.

Listed below are the six (6) new Committees of the GEI Steering Group. Please see below for more information about the purpose/mission and structure for each committee. Each Committee’s Lead(s) will sit as a member of the GEI Steering Group, including in the monthly Steering Group meeting, to ensure all areas are involved in the continued evolution of GEI.

The link to apply is at the bottom of this email. 

Global Education Institute Committees

1. Certification and 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.

We are seeking applications from current WPATH GEI SOC7 Medical and Mental Health Mentors to work with the committee to continue to monitor and improve our existing mentorship programs and certification. In addition, we are seeking applications from current WPATH members who have existing ties to, or reside in, regions with little or no access to competent, trained clinicians.

2. 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.

We are seeking applications from professionals to represent multiple focus areas, including legal/policy/ethics, medical/nursing/clinical care, mental health, physical/occupational therapy, surgery, and voice and communication.

3. Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Committee

The Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Committee 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.

We are seeking applications from professionals who have experience and/or interest in community engagement and participation and in advancing these efforts within GEI.

In addition, we are seeking applications from current WPATH members who have existing ties to, or reside in, regions with little or no access to competent, trained clinicians.

4. 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.

We are seeking applications from professionals who have experience and/or interest in teaching, from the following areas:

• Medical and Allied Health Professionals
• Mental Health Professionals
• Voice and Communication Professionals
• Legal and Policy Professionals
• Members with Community and/or other Organization roles to build regional and global volunteer engagement and representation

5. 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.

We are seeking applications from members with experience and/or interest in fundraising and grant writing.

6. Global Outreach Committee

The Global Outreach committee will consist of representatives from WPATH’s global partners, such as ISSM, WAS, 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.

The Global Outreach committee is not seeking member applications at this time; committee member positions will be filled by invited representatives from WPATH’s global partners.

Terms and Rotation (terms begin November 1, 2021)

• Committee Members – Members will serve a 2- or 3-year term, to be determined by the GEI Steering Group. Members will be notified of their term upon notice of appointment. Members will be eligible to apply for a second term.
• Committee Leads – Leads will serve a 2-year term and will be eligible to apply for a second term. Leads are eligible to apply for the Global Education Institute Co-Chair position, when available.
• Steering Group Members – The GEI Steering Group will be made up of the Committee Leads and will serve on the steering group for the duration of their committee lead term.
• GEI Co-Chairs – Co-Chairs will serve a 3-year term and are eligible to serve a second term. Mental Health and Medical Co-Chairs will not conclude their term in the same year. GEI Co-Chairs will be chosen by the GEI Steering Group from among its members. Beginning in 2021, GEI Co-Chairs will receive a modest annual stipend to recognize their substantial time spent to execute the work required of this position.

GEI Committee Member Criteria

After completing the basic information requested for all committees below, you may see some additional requests for information, and/or materials, specific to that Committee (e.g., video of a presentation, a writing sample).

We are particularly seeking committee members who will broaden and deepen the diversity of volunteers in the GEI Committee in such areas as geographically diverse regions, trans/gender diverse identity, race, ethnicity, age, abilities, professions, languages spoken, and more. We strongly encourage all interested members to apply for these volunteer opportunities.

Members applying for a volunteer position within the GEI Committee must meet the following requirements:

1. Be a WPATH member in good standing since 2020 (minimum 1 year experience in WPATH).
2. Sign a statement agreeing to support the latest version of the WPATH Standards of Care.
3. Sign a statement agreeing to adhere to the latest version of the WPATH Ethical Standards.

We invite you to apply for these open committee positions, as noted above. We will use a review process, similar to what the SOC8 Committee employed, in choosing the GEI committee leads and members.

We hope to continue our work and develop a pipeline for future GEI leadership through this new model for the GEI Steering Group and its Committees.

APPLY TODAY - CLICK HERE