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Help the Transgender Health Program build access to inclusive, affirming health care.

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Patient stories

Jean Bryant.

Jean Bryant, grateful that her worst fears about transitioning did not come true, now helps others.

Hales Skelton.

Hales Skelton savors victories large and small now that his outside more closely aligns with his inside.

StoryCorps

StoryCorps and OHSU are partners in bringing the stories of OHSU patients, providers and others to life. 

Tobin Cox.

Tobin Cox joins clinical program manager Amy Penkin to talk about transitioning as a new employee.

Molly Palmer with wife Melissa.

Molly Palmer and her wife, Melissa, reflect on Molly’s transition. 

Corey Gallet de St. Aurin (on the left), with roommate Nicole.

OHSU medical student Corey Gallet de St. Aurin talks with roommate Nicole Ovregaard about deciding to transition.

At the OHSU Transgender Health Program, we know that high-quality health care in affirming, welcoming environments can be lifesaving.

The Transgender Health Program — THP for short — provides support, information and advocacy. We can connect you with OHSU providers who are international leaders in caring for gender-diverse patients of all ages.

We also strive to increase access to health care for the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities at OHSU and beyond. We work with community partners to provide advocacy, to shape policies and to train health care professionals.

We offer:

  • Help arranging health care services. We do not make appointments or directly provide health care. But we can connect you with OHSU providers for any health care need, such as primary care, mental health care and gender-affirming services.
  • Patient education and events.
  • Information and support from welcoming professionals and peers.
  • One of the nation’s most comprehensive transgender health programs, with therapies not available elsewhere in the Northwest.
  • Access to family-centered services for children and teens.
  • Opportunities to help advance our mission by becoming a volunteer or supporter.
  • Training for OHSU employees and for health care professionals in the community.

Contact us

Trying to reach a clinic?

If you need to reach a specific OHSU clinic to check on your referral, for example, or because you’re running late for your appointment, please call the clinic directly. If you don’t see the number you need below, call OHSU’s main number: 503-494-8311. Please see our team page to find providers.

You do not need a referral for a primary care appointment. 

  • Portland area: See our Primary Care site to look for a provider who lists transgender care among specialties and/or practices at one of the locations below. When you call, please let the clinic know you are seeking care through the Transgender Health Program.
  • Outside the Portland area: We encourage you to seek primary care in your community.  Fill out our service request form if you need help finding a gender-affirming doctor. 

Locations:

  • Dermatology: 503-418-3376 (laser hair removal and other skin- and hair-related needs)
  • Doernbecher Gender Clinic: 503-346-0640 (care for children and teens)
  • Endocrinology (adult): 503-494-3273 (specialty hormone therapy)
  • Ear, Nose and Throat: 503-494-5947 (Adam’s apple reduction, vocal surgery)
  • Facial Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery: 503-494-5678 (facial gender-confirmation surgery)
  • Fertility: 503-418-3700
  • Gynecology: 503-418-4500 (gynecologic care, hysterectomy, oophorectomy)
  • NW Clinic for Voice & Swallowing: 503-494-5947 (voice and communication therapy)
  • Obstetrics: 503-418-4500
  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: 503-494-6687 (Adam’s apple reduction, body contouring, electrolysis, facial gender-confirmation surgery, top/chest surgery, phalloplasty)
  • Urology: 503-346-1500 (metoidioplasty, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty)

  • OHSU's Transgender Gynecology Clinic offers a gender-neutral space for your comfort. Referrals and appointments are made through the OHSU Center for Women's Health, but the space is not in the center. Call 503-418-4500 to request an appointment. 

  • The Doernbecher Gender Clinic offers expert, family-centered care for children and teens. 

Learn more

Costs for services

Patients: The THP serves as an umbrella for gender-affirming services at OHSU. We don’t charge for support, information or patient-education classes. OHSU clinics you may visit set their own charges, though. See our insurance page to learn more about payment options.

Professionals: Health care professionals in the community can request training on providing affirming, welcoming care. See our rate sheet for details on fees.

A woman smiling while sitting down.
Amy Penkin, a clinical social worker and THP's clinical program manager, has been a leader of OHSU’s Transgender Health Program since it started in 2015.

What makes us different

Expertise: OHSU providers who work with the THP specialize in gender-affirming health care. They treat hundreds of patients a year. Many are international experts who publish studies and who speak across the nation and overseas.

Care for teens and children: The providers at our Doernbecher Gender Clinic locations offer years of experience treating gender-diverse young people.

Team-based care: OHSU providers work together to make sure you get the care you need. Our specialists meet every month to pool their expertise on complex cases.

Inclusion: OHSU is dedicated to inclusive care and to offering welcoming facilities. The THP and OHSU’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion offer staff training that includes culturally competent LGBTQ+ care. You will also find gender-neutral restrooms across our campuses.

Outreach and education

Aeden Coffey.
Aedan Coffey, THP director

Outreach care: We provide care for transgender and gender-nonconforming children and teens in seven cities across Oregon and southwest Washington. Contact Doernbecher Pediatric Endocrinology at 503-494-3273 for locations and times.

Patient education: See our Education and Events page.

Training: Our staff offers training in gender-affirming care to medical providers across the Northwest. See our For Health Care Professionals page for details. OHSU providers also speak nationally and internationally to expand access to gender-affirming treatment.

Grand rounds for health care professionals: Join quarterly online sessions on issues generated by and important to the transgender and gender-diverse community. Learn more on our For Health Care Professionals page.

Community involvement: We work with community partners — taking part in health fairs and other events, for example — to improve access to inclusive health care.

Collaboration: We confer monthly with other transgender health programs. OHSU created the Academic Gender Center Coordinators’ Consultation so participants can share information to improve care.

How to get involved

Volunteering: Our volunteer opportunities offer you the chance to share your experience, help others, shape our program, and advance our mission.

Your feedback: We value input from patients, providers and community members. This helps us offer services that match your needs. We welcome concerns, success stories and anything else you’d like to share.

Transgender Health Program Community Advisory Board: This group is made up of transgender and gender-nonbinary people who have received program services or who represent served communities. Members apply to serve two-year terms. The group meets quarterly to advise the program about programs and services. Learn how to apply.

Transgender Health Program Community meetings: We invite you and your allies to help shape our program. Meetings, open to anyone, are 5 to 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. Visit our events page and scroll down to "Calendar" to find a meeting.

Research and innovations

As part of OHSU, Oregon’s only academic health center, our providers are also researchers seeking improvements in care.

  • Our providers publish papers in academic journals. They also share findings through the Transgender Health Program Research Collaborative started by OHSU.
  • OHSU is building a pediatric patient registry to better track outcomes and improve treatments.
  • We are building databases on chest feminization and phalloplasty to improve outcomes.
  • OHSU pioneered a unique physical therapy treatment for vaginoplasty patients. 
  • We have researched how testosterone therapy affects voices, leading to recommendations for voice therapy.
  • We’re studying how testosterone is given to teen patients to find the best methods.
  • We’re working with the Pediatric Endocrine Society to develop more research and education about gender-affirming health.

See our For Health Care Professionals page for links to published studies by OHSU providers.

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