Five things to know about our gender-affirming care

Every person’s gender care journey is different.

Whether you’re looking for primary care or support as you medically transition, the M Health Fairview Comprehensive Gender Care Program is home to an array of experts who specialize in gender-affirming care. Founded in 2018, the program brings together specialists from across our system dedicated to providing compassionate and comprehensive care for transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse patients. The program has roots dating back to the 1970s, when the University of Minnesota’s Program in Human Sexuality, now the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, created a gender care service.

“A big part of our mission is: Nothing about us without us. We’re committed to centering transgender and gender-diverse voices and partnering with patients to personalize their care,” said Katie Spencer, PhD, LP, CST, co-director of our Comprehensive Gender Care Program and assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School. “Many of our providers and staff identify within the communities we serve, and our entire team is committed to going the extra mile and closing gaps in care for patients.”

Since it’s founding over five years ago, our program has continued to expand its reach, offering coordinated care for people throughout the Twin Cities and beyond.

“We’re proud of the increased support we're able to offer patients as they navigate their healthcare journey,” said Owen Karcher, manager of our Comprehensive Gender Care service line. “Our team is made up of passionate and highly-skilled people who care deeply about our patients and community, understand the barriers they experience when trying to access care, and offer compassionate and thoughtful support.”

Here are five things to know about our Comprehensive Gender Care Program.

We offer coordinated care designed to reduce barriers.

Our Comprehensive Gender Care Program is designed to reduce the barriers that transgender and gender-diverse patients face in accessing comprehensive care. Care coordinators, including an intake coordinator and nurse care coordinator, help patients navigate our multidisciplinary program offerings from primary care to hormone therapy to counseling to surgery – all based on each person’s unique needs. They're with patients every step of the way to schedule appointments, make sure patients know and are prepared for next steps in care.

Our program provides access to an array of specialists.

We’re home to a multidisciplinary team including primary care providers, mental healthcare providers, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, dermatologists, urologists, and rehabilitation specialists. Our care coordinators help patients get connected with specialty care and manage their appointments. For example, a patient may meet with a primary care physician for hormone therapy, which may in turn trigger acne. If that happens, we make it easy to get referred to and meet with one of our dermatologists.

Joseph Pariser, MD, a urologist and surgical director of our Comprehensive Gender Care Program, enjoys close collaboration with patients and colleagues in other specialties.

“We’re seeing more and more collaboration between urologists and other gender-affirming surgeons, and this knowledge-sharing is a huge benefit to our patients,” said Pariser. “I enjoy having a connection with my patients and being able to offer unique, multidisciplinary surgeries that are having a positive impact on their lives.”

Voice therapy to pelvic health: Learn how our rehabilitation specialists support transgender patients.

We offer a range of gender-affirming therapies, including many surgical options.

We offer hormone and voice therapy, in addition to a wide range of gender-affirming surgeries. Surgical options include:

• Bottom Surgery
  • Vaginoplasty (Full-Depth and Minimal-Depth/Vulvoplasty)
  • Orchiectomy
  • Hysterectomy (+/- Oophorectomy)
  • Metoidioplasty
  • Phalloplasty (Second and Third Stage)
• Top Surgery
  • Double-Incision Mastectomy
  • Gender-Affirming Breast Reduction
  • Breast Augmentation
• Tracheal Shave
• Vocal Cord Surgery
• Surgical Revisions

Our providers are on the leading edge of gender-affirming care.

“One of our program’s strengths is that many of our providers are also researchers in the field of gender-affirming care,” said Spencer. “Our program is evidence-based and aligned with the current best practices in gender care, which our team has also helped shape.”

Our providers contributed to the most recent Standards of Care by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which helps guide international gender-affirming care. They are also advocates at a local and state level. “We supported transforming the City of Minneapolis into a sanctuary city for gender-affirming care,” said Spencer. “Many of us are involved in continuing education, advocacy, and policy development with the state.”