Conference: The Role of Rehabilitation in Caring for Transgender and Gender-Expansive Adults

Transgender and gender-expansive (TG/GE) people are underserved throughout the health care system. Their health outcomes are poorer compared to their peers, with higher comorbidities and impaired access to care. Contributing factors include discrimination against transgender and gender-diverse people, lack of TG/GE education in medical training programs as well as the medical community as a whole, and subsequent lack of knowledge about this population’s unique needs.

This half-day conference will provide the current best practices for the role of rehabilitation in treatment of transgender and gender diverse people. The conference will offer education about terminology, health care statistics, social transition, medical transition, and the benefits and role of rehabilitation to improve quality of life and health status as well as improve outcomes of all medical and nonmedical stages of transitioning.

Conference Overview

Date and Time: May 10, 2025 | 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $65
Location: Online via livestream
CEUs: 5.0 contact hours (Maryland PT Board and Maryland OT approved; Maryland Audiologist, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathologist and Music Therapists board approval pending)
Audience: Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and other medical practitioners who provide gender affirming care or who work with transgender and gender-expansive patients.

Topics

Terminology, demographics and health disparities statistics
Trauma-informed care
Best practices and care for TG/GE patients
Basics of social/medical transition
Orthopaedic considerations:

Hypermobility
Binding/tucking
After bottom surgery
Chronic pain in TG/GE patients

Gender-affirming voice therapy
Surgical and medical affirming processes

Role of pelvic floor physical therapy in care for TG/GE patients

Pelvic floor changes with hormone therapy
Pelvic floor physical therapy after bottom surgery
Bathroom anxiety and subsequent pelvic floor considerations

Occupational therapy considerations

Care for the forearm graft after phalloplasty
Rehabilitation after double mastectomy

Presenters

Rachel Pigott, O.T. (She/Her)

Board-Certified Hand Therapist, Certified Lymphedema Therapist

Fan Liang, M.D. (She/Her)

Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical Director at the Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health

Keelin Godsey, P.T. (He/Him, They/Them)

Board-Certified Orthopedic Physical Therapist, Board-Certified Sports Physical Therapist, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists