New Transgender Health Center Opens at Johns Hopkins Hospital

[SophieD]

After a nearly 40 year hiatus, Johns Hopkins Hospital is once again working to lead the way for transgender health care.

Johns Hopkins is aiming to provide a model of inclusion in the medical field for the transgender community.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/04/06/johns-hopkins-hospital-working-to-lead-the-way-for-transgender-health-care/

By TRACEY Leong

CBS Baltimore/04/06/2017

[NikkiB51]

OMG!!!!  This is fantastic news.  To put such a blockbuster name associated with transgender health is amazing.  And their plans to teach the next generation of health-care providers is wonderful.

[SophieD]

It is encouraging, isn't it?  I understand that Johns Hopkins intends to offer GCS as part of its program (as it did many years ago).

[Maybebaby56]

Yes, as long as Paul McHugh and his buddy Lawrence Mayer aren't involved.  See: http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hrc-sets-sights-johns-hopkins-after-controversial-sexuality-gender-report-n641501 for fun.

~Terri

[Joelene9]

  Thanks, Terri! You beat me to it. Paul McHugh's 'findings' 40 years ago caused us Boomers a lot of grief. That cause a 35 year lapse of HRT treatments. McHugh's findings was the main factor of my shrink's decision of not treating me with HRT.

Joelene

[Devlyn]

Geez, ya! My first thought was that the headline should be "New Cotton Candy Machine Opens In Bear Trap" 

Seriously, I hope this is a new generation of medical professionals merely interested in providing quality health care. Fingers crossed.

Hugs, Devlyn

[NikkiB51]

From the sound of the article, it doesn't sound like it has anything to discuss with McHugh's department.  Very optimistic article.

[SophieD]

I agree, it is an optimistic article.  I think Johns Hopkins Hospital is making significant strides in the right direction, and I welcome and applaud those changes.  I live in Maryland, and am delighted to see an expansion of care options for transgendered folks here.  Note that the driving force behind this new program is herself transgendered.

[Raell]

Yet another reason to move to Maryland instead of Canada! Healthcare, LGBTQ and gender equality, etc.

[SadieBlake]

McHugh was head of psychiatry at JH med school until 2001 but apparently he still held enough sway with that institution to keep them focused on conversion therapy for another 15 years.

I'd love to know the story behind why Hopkins tolerates someone creating junk science for so long. I understand that academics get and need independence, however I don't see how you put someone that far off the beaten track in charge of the psychiatry Dept of a major university.

[Dena]

McHugh was head of psychiatry at JH med school until 2001 but apparently he still held enough sway with that institution to keep them focused on conversion therapy for another 15 years.

I'd love to know the story behind why Hopkins tolerates someone creating junk science for so long. I understand that academics get and need independence, however I don't see how you put someone that far off the beaten track in charge of the psychiatry Dept of a major university.

I don't know what happened but I can guess. Doctors are very reluctant to judge each other because they fear they may be judged in turn. JH is run by doctors so unless a doctor really messes up badly, it's very unlikely anyone will speak  up against them. In the last year or two, ->-bleeped-<- has been in the news a good deal and I suspect some of this exposure was causing self examination to take place at JH. As small number of people in the upper management at JH are now hoping by restarting the program will keep people from taking a close look at their past record because they fouled up big time.

[Michelle_P]

Dr. McHugh is a bit on the outs with the Johns Hopkins faculty after his last big publication.  Rather than try for a proper peer-reviewed journal the doctor published his paper through "The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society."  The paper purports to detail the science of gender and sexuality, but falls far short of being a truly comprehensive review. (No links to it, as, to be blunt, the content is ban-worthy!)

Nine faculty members of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, led by Chris Beyrer, Robert Blum, and Tonia Poteat disputed conclusions of the report and published this as an op-ed piece in "The Baltimore Sun".  The op-ed piece mentions research from the last decade or two that post-dates the information provided by Dr. McHugh and points out serious problems with the McHugh paper.  It also notes the Human Rights Campaign critique of the paper and Johns Hopkins' association with it.

It took considerable pressure to get Johns Hopkins to finally wake up and make certain improvements.

[SadieBlake]

Michelle, thanks for that, great to know JH has finally woken up and repudiated this idiot.

[NikkiB51]

As I also live in MD, it is a closer alternative to Chase-Braxton.  The part that I really was intrigued by was the training component for other practitioners.  That would be a boon for all of us, if there is a resource for physicians that is run by one of the most prestigious medical schools in America.

[RobynD]

It really is awesome to see this respected institution reject their wrongs of the past. When people bring up McHugh's work in relation to us in the future, simply pointing them to this fact should provide some emphasis to the learning moment.

[flower1221]

Anyone have any experience with this center??  I work in the hopkins system so this has to be in my insurance network 

[sarah1972]

Anyone have any experience with this center??  I work in the hopkins system so this has to be in my insurance network 

This is one of the places I hope will offer surgery, last I checked I could not find anything.. living in Virginia right outside of DC this would be a great option..