Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Holds Inaugural Transgender Health Conference

Dignity Health Saint Francis Memorial Hospital hosted San Francisco’s first medical conference on transgender health — marking the public launch of its Gender Institute.  

“Discussions on Gender Affirmation: Surgery and Beyond,” was held May 30-June 1 at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco and co-hosted by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (“WPATH”).

“While Saint Francis Memorial Hospital has been supporting the health needs of transgender patients for decades, this area of medicine is rapidly evolving and the Gender Institute wanted to provide a venue to discuss and deliberate on best care,” said Kathleen Jordan, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. “The conference hosted health care professionals sharing and learning best practices in addressing the health care of persons of all gender identities, and brought together true pioneers in their fields.” 

The conference aimed to help health care providers address the ethical and practice-related concerns of serving individuals who are considering surgery. 

Topics Covered:

  • An ethical framework for navigating challenges in gender care
  • Counseling patients/clients regarding surgery options
  • Physical preparation for surgery
  • Discussions on complications of gender surgeries
  • Masculinizing and feminizing surgical procedures
  • Nonbinary surgery requests
  • Ethical issues in adolescent treatment
  • How to be a well-informed health care advocate 
  • Facial feminization and voice surgery

Speakers Included:

  • WPATH Global Education Initiative Co-Chairs: Lin Fraser, EdD, MFT, LPCC and Gail Knudson, MD, MEd, FRCPC.
  • Carol Bayley, PhD, ethicist and member of the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Gender Council.
  • Marci Bowers, MD, gynecologic and aesthetic surgeon specializing in genital reassignment surgery and clitoral restoration for FGM survivors.
  • Jordan Deschamps-Braly, MD, FACS, plastic and craniofacial surgeon specializing in facial feminization surgery.
  • Charles Moser, PhD, MD, internal medicine, sexual medicine, specializing in the care of gender diverse patients.
  • Bauback Safa, MD, MBA, FACS, plastic surgeon specializing in microsurgery/phalloplasties.
  • Thomas Satterwhite, MD, founder: Align Surgical Associates. Plastic and craniofacial surgeon specializing in gender confirmation procedures.

Click here for the full conference agenda

The goal of the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Gender Institute, launched two years ago, is to deliver compassionate, high-quality, and affordable health services to transgender patients and their families. Led by a council of experts, the Gender Institute is committed to providing patients with the respectful environment that they deserve. 

The Gender Institute’s multidisciplinary professionals together provide a comprehensive continuum of care to the Hospital’s patients and their families throughout the pre-operative process, including a positive and supportive environment for transgender patients to seek care, counseling services, and referrals to related resources and services. Saint Francis also includes cultural training for its staff to ensure a welcoming and healing environment for persons of all gender identities.