Why Choose UChicago Medicine for Transgender Health Care
If you are transgender or non-binary, you have probably had negative experiences with doctors and hospitals that did not take time to understand you or your needs.
At UChicago Medicine, we are striving to create a positive, affirming environment where you can get safe and effective treatments as well as the support and respect you deserve.
A Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality
UChicago Medicine has been named an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). We received the maximum score in each section of the Healthcare Equity Index (HEI) survey, demonstrating our inclusive policies and practices related to LGBTQIA+ patients, visitors and employees.
Our staff have completed staff training in LGBTQ+ patient-centered care. We include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in our patient and employee non-discrimination as well as our equal visitation policy. We also have implemented policies aimed at eliminating bias and insensitivity to promote appropriate and welcoming interactions with transgender patients across the medical center.
A Medical Home for Transgender Health
We understand that you may not have had good experiences with large health care institutions in the past. But we want you to feel like you have a “medical home” at UChicago Medicine. To us, that means a place where you feel safe to ask questions and where you can count on us to coordinate all of the services you need to achieve your health goals.
We also provide a team-based approach to care. Our specialists meet regularly to identify and implement strategies to improve care for transgender and non-binary patients.
Better Access to Care for Trans People of Color
Caring for vulnerable populations is a priority for our team at UChicago Medicine. Even though patients from around the world come to us for care, some of our most important work happens in our own neighborhoods.
We are especially committed to improving access to care for transgender and non-binary patients on Chicago’s South Side, including trans people of color who often lack access to high quality care.
We believe accessing comprehensive, compassionate care where you live is important. When you can’t come to us, we come to you through our mobile health clinic, which provides free, confidential HIV testing and other services to LGBTQ+ people throughout the community.
Some of our providers also speak Spanish and other languages, and we can arrange interpreter services to improve communication with you and your care team.
Access to Rare Treatments
For more than 30 years, surgeons at UChicago Medicine have been performing gender affirmation surgery. Today, we offer a full scope of transmasculine and transfeminine procedures, and we follow the standards of care established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Our team can provide many rare surgeries, including trachelectomy, which is only performed at a few hospitals in the country.
Research and Training with Gender Diverse Populations
Research is a major focus at UChicago Medicine, and our physician-researchers are striving to improve transgender health care by initiating more studies with gender diverse populations. By doing so, we hope to address pervasive health inequities in this population and provide more inclusive care.
Our physicians collaborate with community organizations like Howard Brown Health on research to improve transgender care. These studies cover topics such as wellness among Black transgender people, discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and sexual health. Some of these studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health. Through our Care2Prevent program, we also participate in large, international trials following young people with HIV.
Our researchers also advance transgender care by publishing their findings in medical journals like Transgender Health, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Journal of General Internal Medicine and others. Our team also actively trains future healthcare providers on how to provide gender-affirming care to transgender and non-binary patients.