Center for Transyouth Health and Development

Background

The Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is dedicated to providing affirming care for transgender and gender diverse children, adolescents, young adults and their families. As one of the oldest and largest transyouth programs, the Center partners with youth and their families to advance the field through innovative practice, training and research.

The multidisciplinary team at the CTYHD is dedicated to partnering with young people and their families as they navigate their gender journey, uncover their gifts while helping to remove any institutional barriers blocking their path to achieving their authentic selves.

What Makes our Center Different?

The Center for Transyouth Health and Development rejects the gatekeeper model of care and focuses on how to help our patients and families in the least restrictive environment possible. The CTYHD focuses on gender-affirming care and strives to make all our patients and their families feel welcomed and understood.

Services Available at CTYHD

Gender-affirming medical treatment and mental health services
Family support services and linkage to outside resources
Case management services, including assistance with legal name and gender marker changes
Peer Support groups
Sexual health education including groups, one-on-one navigation services and HIV/STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) screening and treatment.
Access to PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) and PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) for HIV prevention.
Voluntary participation in ground breaking research

Research

The CTYHD is a national leader in conducting ground-breaking research designed to advance our understanding and practice of gender-affirming health care and related services among transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.

Below are recent peer-reviewed journal articles reflecting some of our notable contributions (current and past CTYHD authors in bold).

Julian, JM, Salvetti, B, Held, JI, Murray, PM, Lara-Rojas, L, Olson-Kennedy, J. The Impact of Chest Binding in Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth and Young Adults. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2020 October. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.09.029
Hidalgo MA, Chen D. Experiences of Gender Minority Stress in Cisgender Parents of Transgender/Gender-expansive Prepubertal Children: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Family Issues. Forthcoming.
Olson-Kennedy J, Warus J, Okonta V, Belzer M, Clark LF., Chest Reconstruction and Chest Dysphoria in Transmasculine Minors and Young Adults: Comparisons of Nonsurgical and Postsurgical Cohorts. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 May 1;172(5):431-436. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.5440.
Olson-Kennedy J, Okonta V, Clark LF, Belzer M, Physiologic Response to Gender-Affirming Hormones Among Transgender Youth, Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 0, Issue 0 Published online October 2017; Physiologic Response to Gender-Affirming Hormones Among Transgender Youth. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.08.005
Hidalgo MA, Chen D, Garofalo R, Forbes C. Perceived Parental Attitudes of Gender Expansiveness: Development and Preliminary Factor Structure of a Self-report Youth Questionnaire. Transgender Health, 2(1), 180-187; 2017.
Olson J, Garofalo R., The peripubertal gender-dysphoric child: puberty suppression and treatment paradigms. Pediatr Ann. 2014 Jun;43(6):e132-7. doi: 10.3928/00904481-20140522-08. PMID: 24972421
Hidalgo MA, Ehrensaft D, Tishelman AC, Clark LF, Garofalo R, Rosenthal SM, Spack, N, Olson J. The gender affirmative model: What we know and what we aim to learn. Human Development. 56(5):285-90, 2013.
Olson J, Clark L, Schrager S, Simons L, Belzer M. Baseline characteristics of transgender youth naïve to cross sex hormone therapy, J Adol Health, February 2013 (Vol. 52, Issue 2, Supplement 1, S35-S36.