![michigan gay pride tattoo michigan gay pride tattoo](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/21/89/e3/2189e3039265d5ad64e2d00cc6032800.jpg)
Seeing him made me realize how little training I had in working with transgender patients and that the resources available to help me learn were extremely limited. When we discussed the possibility of him needing his ovaries removed for cancer risk reduction, I didn’t even think to ask about whether he wanted children because I knew so little about transgender parenthood. He also wondered about hormones and how that would impact his risks for cancer, but I could find no literature to help answer his questions. Getting his breasts removed was a very important part of his gender affirmation, but his insurance company would not cover this procedure unless he had a high risk of breast cancer. While most of my cisgender patients are terrified of carrying a mutation in a gene associated with breast cancer risk, this patient was hoping to test positive for a mutation in the BRCA1 gene (a breast cancer gene) to help him get insurance coverage for the removal of his breasts. But when I saw my first transgender patient, I realized how much I didn’t know about the medical side of caring for trans people. I am pansexual, my mother is in a same-sex marriage, and I’ve had close friends who belong to gender and sexual minority groups since childhood, so I’ve been involved in the LGBTQ community for a long time. I didn’t intend to specialize in this area, but my interest started with one particular patient.
![michigan gay pride tattoo michigan gay pride tattoo](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/cf/bd/b9/cfbdb99044905f47f9592636a5aa453a--gay-pride-tattoos-ink-tattoos.jpg)
What led you to specialize in transgender genetic health? She is involved with the Cancer, Public Health, and Education Special Interest Groups within the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and works to educate the public on the healthcare needs of transgender patients through publication, advocacy, and public presentation. She is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, where she specialized in Health Communication and Public Health Genetics.