Dr. Sabra L. Katz-Wise, Phd

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Associate Professor
Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Dr. Katz-Wise (pronouns: she/her) is a researcher whose work investigates sexual orientation and gender identity development, sexual fluidity, health disparities related to sexual orientation and gender identity in adolescents and young adults, and psychosocial functioning in families with transgender youth.  She is co-director of the Harvard Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression Health Equity Research Collaborative (Harvard SOGIE). In addition to research, Dr. Katz-Wise is involved with advocacy efforts at BCH to improve the workplace climate and patient care for LGBTQ individuals, including her role as co-chair for the Boston Children’s Hospital Rainbow Consortium on Sexual and Gender Diversity.  She also serves on the Harvard Medical School LGBT Advisory Committee and is a Harvard Medical School Sexual and Gender Minority Curriculum Development Fellow.  Dr. Katz-Wise co-founded the Alliance of Gender Affirming Professionals (AGAP), a group for professionals and trainees in greater Boston who work with transgender youth and families.  Dr. Katz-Wise is queer-identified and a strong ally to transgender communities.  When she’s not learning about LGBTQ health, she likes to practice yoga, travel, and spend time with her wife, toddler, and cat.

Eli godwin, EdM, MPH

STUDY CO-COORDINATOR, DATA ANALYST, FACILITATOR
Research Specialist, Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

Eli (he/him) is an educator by training who embarked on a new trajectory in public health to address systemic factors affecting sexual and gender minority adolescents. He recently earned his second Masters at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is applying to PhD programs. Eli volunteers as a member of the Institutional Review Board at The Fenway Institute and is a freelance consultant and speaker on transgender issues, particularly in education and sport. When not working towards greater trans health, joy, and equity, Eli enjoys curling (a.k.a. “chess on ice”), skiing, and just about any other endeavor on frozen water. 

R “KORK” kORKODILOS

STUDY CO-COORDINATOR, DATA ANALYST
Research Specialist, Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

Kork (they/them) is a clinical research assistant in the Division of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. They hold a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies from Wellesley College. Kork is passionate about building a more just world for us all through community-based research and advocacy. In their free time, Kork likes to bike around the city, play video games, and listen to podcasts.

DANIELLE DEMAIO, MA

DATA ANALYST

Research Assistant, Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

Danielle DeMaio (she/her) is a clinical research assistant at Boston Children's Hospital with a background in LGBTQ+ family sciences. Danielle is a graduate of the Child Study and Human Development master's program at Tuft's University, where she focused her thesis work on parent-adolescent communication between gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents and their primary caregivers. Currently Danielle works on research projects related to puberty blockers with transgender youth and HIV/PrEP education with trangender adolescents. 

YULIYA medzhitova, PHD, MA

INTERVIEWER, FACILITATOR, DATA ANALYST

Yuliya Medzhitova, PhD (pronouns: she/her series) is a licensed psychologist specializing in the study and treatment of traumatic stress in children, adolescents, and adults with a focus on serving justice-impacted and immigrant-origin communities. She is currently based at the Center for Child Trauma and Resilience in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City where her professional roles include psychotherapist, adjunct professor, clinical researcher, and program evaluator. As a member of the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project led by Dr. Sabra Katz-Wise at Boston Children’s Hospital, Yuliya interviewed trans teens and their families to understand the role of social support in bolstering mental health and contributed to the development of the TTFN Conversation Toolkit.

L.B. Moore, Med, MED, LMHC

INTERVIEWER, FACILITATOR, DATA ANALYST

LB (they/them or ze/zir) is a behavioral health clinician, educator, and the LGBTQ+ Program Manager of Framingham GLASS, a community-based non-profit organization providing resources and services centering the needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ youth of color and folks living with HIV in the MetroWest region of MA. LB holds two Master of Education degrees from Boston University: one in Physical Education and Coaching and one in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sports and Performance Psychology. You can find LB at conferences and elsewhere talking about intersectional justice, liberation and anti-oppression, behavioral health, HIV, LGBTQ+ topics, and--of course!--trans and nonbinary youth. LB is a white, non-binary Jew with disabilities who is passionate about racial justice, meaningful relationships with other creatures, and getting enough sleep.

KILLIAN RUCK, MPP/MBA

INTERVIEWER, FACILITATOR, DATA ANALYST

Killian (pronouns: they/them) is a graduate of a dual degree Masters in Public Policy/MBA in Nonprofit Management program at Brandeis University. They are passionate about improving health outcomes and providing safe housing for LGBTQ youth, and regularly volunteer with Youth on Fire in Cambridge. In their free time they enjoy crafting things out of yarn, fabric, clay, and various other media; and they will play any game (video, tabletop, or board) that involves dragons, sailing, or being a stealthy rogue.

FORMER TEAM MEMBERS

(Note: bios are from their time on the team and may not necessarily reflect current affiliations, pronouns, credemtials, etc.)

MEGHAN DOHERTY, MSW

INTERVIEWER, CONSULTANT

Meghan (pronouns: they/them or she/her) is a social worker with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. They have previous experience at several Boston-area hospitals providing individual and family therapy within inpatient psychiatric units, as well as providing outpatient counseling to transgender and gender-expansive young adults. Their interests include the impact of structural stigma on mental health and identity development, major mental illness, and addressing systemic inequalities in healthcare for LGBTQ patients.

Jax Gonzalez, MA

INTERVIEWER

Jax Gonzalez (pronouns: she/her or they/them) is a graduate student at Brandeis University in the joint masters program in Sociology and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Her research interests include the multiplicities of personal identity at the intersection of education, embodiment, and health. As a queer activist interested in issues of health and gender, her research project came about as a concern with examining how adolescents are socialized in the classroom to understand their bodies. Her masters research focuses on how educators help to shape students’ understanding of gender identity and exploration through the unwritten and unintended lessons taught in the classroom (the hidden curriculum).

TIL KUS, BA

INTERVIEWER, DATA ANALYST

til (pronouns: they/them) is a clinical research coordinator at Fenway Health, an LGBTQ community health center. In addition, til serves as a peer facilitator for the transgender support group at Fenway Health. They currently are completing a Master’s of Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University School of Medicine, and have a B.A. in Medical Anthropology. til is interested in health disparities affecting trans and gender non-conforming youth, and how to best support these communities through clinical work and research. In their free time, tillikes to explore the outdoors and play with their orange cat, Juice.

Kate Oeser, BA

INTERVIEWER

Kate (pronouns: all/ no preference) is a Boston-based journalist and park advocate. A former associate editor of Windy City Times, Kate has reported extensively on LGBT communities, focusing on transgender issues, youth homelessness, HIV/AIDS, marriage, incarceration and housing. Kate was an inaugural Trans 100 honoree in 2013. 

NEEKI PARSA

STUDY CO-COORDINATOR, DATA ANALYST, FACILITATOR
Research Assistant, Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

Neeki (they/them) is a research coordinator in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, working with Dr. Sabra Katz-Wise on the Trans Teens and Family Narratives Project and Dr. Lydia Shrier on the Screening for Early and Emerging Mental Experiences study. Their primary area of research interest is health equity for multiply marginalized trans and queer populations. Neeki hopes to apply their knowledge of queer and trans affirmative healthcare one day as a physician.  

In their free time, they like to rock climb, go for walks with their partner, and think about a secular democracy for Iran. Neeki’s favorite color is usually a pale grey-purple. Their next frontier is to learn to write with fewer em dashes.

DAVID PLETTA, BS & BA

INTERVIEWER, DATA ANALYST

David (pronouns: he/his) is a public health researcher and social scientist. He received his B.S. in Cognitive Science and B.A. in Intensive Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and is currently an MPH candidate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Boston University School of Public Health. David also works as an Epidemiology Graduate Intern at The Fenway Institute, where he analyzes data on HPV transmission risk among trans-masculine persons. His research interests include narratives of sexual and gender identity development, sexual health, and mixed methods data analysis. In his free time, David likes to engulf himself in blankets or fight the forces of nature to keep his hanging plants alive.

Elena Rossen, BA

INTERVIEWER

Elena (pronouns: she/her) is a Research Assistant at the Program in Education and Afterschool Resilience at McLean Hospital. After graduating with a degree in Psychology from Smith College, she realized her interest in contributing to the well-being of minority youth on a systemic level, and decided to pursue a career in research. Her research interests include educational and mental health disparities, with a focus on LGBTQ youth and gender identity.

Carl G. streed, Jr, md

INTERVIEWER

Carl (pronouns: he/him) earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins, where he advocated for the inclusion of LGBT health in the curricula of the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, increased the visibility and value of the LGBT community through community advocacy, and achieved transgender equity in health insurance coverage. He completed fellowship in General Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital focused on sexual and gender minority health. Nationally, Carl has served as the American Medical Student Association LGBT Policy Coordinator, served on the board of GLMA, and chaired the American Medical Association Advisory Committee on LGBTQ Issues. Carl’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of LGBT individuals and communities have earned him the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Award, the AMSA James Slayton National Award for Leadership Excellence, AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Award, the Erickson-Zoellers Point Foundation Scholarship as well as recognition by the Obama White House.