Ep12: Transgender Pathology

Everyone deserves equal access to compassionate care. And yet, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face a number of challenges in navigating the healthcare system. As pathologists and laboratory professionals, what can we do to improve the healthcare experience for our transgender patients?  

On this episode of Inside the Lab, our hosts Dr. Dan Milner and Dr. Lotte Mulder are joined by Dr. Jeff SoRelle, MD, Assistant Instructor of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, Ms. Julie Papango, MLS(ASCPi)CM, Medical Technologist, Humanitarian Aid Worker, and Award-Winning Public Speaker, and Dr. Robin LeGallo, MD, Associate Professor of Surgical and Autopsy Pathology at the University of Virginia, to discuss transgender pathology. 

Our panelists explore the challenges transgender and gender non-conforming people face in accessing healthcare, describing how lab values can change in patients on hormone therapy, and what we can do to improve anatomic pathology processing and reporting for the transgender population. Listen in for Dr. SoRelle, Ms. Papango, and Dr. LeGallo’s insight on advancing electronic health records to better accommodate transgender patients and learn what we can do as pathologists and laboratory professionals to advocate for the transgender and gender non-conforming community. 

Key Takeaways 

· The challenges transgender and gender non-conforming people face in accessing healthcare
· The specific challenges transgender people face in the area of anatomic pathology processing and reporting
· How lab values change in transgender patients on hormone therapy and what we can do to implement transgender-specific reference intervals
· How some laboratory information systems handle the sex field for transgender patients and how electronic health records might be improved
· Leveraging precision medicine to better serve the transgender population
· What laboratory professionals and pathologists can do to advocate for improved healthcare for the transgender community, especially in rural areas 

Connect with ASCP
ASCP
ASCP on Facebook
ASCP on Instagram
ASCP on Twitter 

Connect with Dr. SoRelle
Dr. SoRelle at UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dr. SoRelle on LinkedIn
Dr. SoRelle on Twitter 

Connect with Ms. Papango
Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines
Ms. Papango on LinkedIn 

Connect with Dr. LeGallo
 Dr. LeGallo at the University of Virginia 

Connect with Dr. Mulder & Dr. Milner
Dr. Mulder on Twitter
Dr. Milner on Twitter 

Resources
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store