Transgender, Transition (Part I)

Imagine being born in the body of your natal sex (your assigned sex at birth,) but your brain consistently and persistently tells you that you are a different gender. This is known as “gender dysphoria,” and for many transgender individuals, this begins in childhood. In Part I of our series, our guest, Dr. Olson-Kennedy, discusses gender dysphoria, gender identity development, and how gender identity is more inclusive than assigned sex at birth.

About Our Guest

As a full-time faculty member of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy spearheads a program of research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles that aims to understand the experience of gender nonconformity from childhood through early adulthood.

In 2012, she became the Medical Director of the Division’s Center for Transyouth Health and Development, the largest clinic dedicated to the care of transgender youth in the United States.