State Honors Dr. Gadomski
For Tending Transgender Youth
COOPERSTOWN – Pediatrician Anne Gadomski, Bassett Research Institute director, was given the World AIDS Day New York Commissioner’s Special Recognition for establishing the first rural pediatric registry for transgender and gender nonconforming youth in New York State.
“There is not a lot of evidence to help inform clinical care of transgender and gender non-conforming youth, particularly for rural areas,” she said.
“The information we are compiling will help us address outcomes in youth and young adults receiving transgender care at the Bassett Healthcare Network Gender Wellness Center, which will be used to inform evidence-based care going forward,” the doctor said.
Participation in the registry is voluntary; currently, there are 113 patients participating who are in various stages of transition. The pediatric registry includes diagnoses, treatment, lab results and outcomes. The initiative was presented last November at a national scientific meeting in San Francisco by two of Bassett’s researchers, Jane O’Bryan and Kim Leon, who helped develop the registry.
“We expect that the database will increase practitioner understanding of specific clinical conditions and patient health care needs as well as help us identify trends that result from different interventions,” she said. “Our goal is to continue to improve the care of transgender and gender nonconforming pediatric patients.”
Carolyn Wolf-Gould, MD, who founded the Gender Wellness Center and nominated Gadomski for the state award. “Anne’s tireless efforts on behalf of our patients have made a tremendous difference already,” she said. “This registry is another major step forward in advancing the care of transgender individuals.”
Gadomski was also instrumental in securing Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding for the Gender Wellness Center in Oneonta, which is working to become a center of excellence for transgender care and provide comprehensive, affirming medical, surgical and mental health services for gender nonconforming people and their loved ones.