{"id":137276,"date":"2023-11-15T00:01:50","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T05:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=137276"},"modified":"2023-11-14T15:40:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T20:40:50","slug":"gender-affirming-surgeries-are-essential-for-med-school-students-harvard-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/gender-affirming-surgeries-are-essential-for-med-school-students-harvard-says\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Gender-affirming\u2019 surgeries are \u2018essential\u2019 for med school students, Harvard says"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Gender-affirming\u2019 surgeries are \u2018essential\u2019 ‘knowledge’ for med school students, Harvard says<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Harvard Medical School students can commit \u201cgender affirming surgery\u201d on adult hospital patients for coursework this fall and next spring.<\/p>\n

A four-week elective course called \u201cPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery\u201d lets students \u201cparticipate in procedures that span the entire specialty including hand surgery, breast reconstruction, microsurgery, craniofacial surgery, lymphatic surgery, orthoplastic surgery, gender affirming surgery, and cosmetic surgery,\u201d according to a course description<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The transgender content doesn\u2019t appear in any sections starting before Aug. 28 in the fall catalog. The sections that include this instruction are taught at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard-affiliated facility in Boston.\u00a0 The College Fix<\/em> could not access catalogs from previous academic years.<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> asked Harvard Medical School when it began allowing students to participate in transgender surgeries and why.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of its mission to educate and train future physicians, Harvard Medical School teaches students the fundamental principles of plastic and reconstructive surgery for a variety of conditions.”<\/p>\n

This instruction includes “injuries sustained as a result of head and neck trauma, limb injuries, and cranio-facial and blood vessel abnormalities, among many others,\u201d the school\u2019s press team stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis training also includes teaching the basics of gender-affirming surgery for consenting adult patients seeking such procedures,\u201d the media team stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis education is an essential part of the fundamental knowledge and expertise needed to deliver optimal care for patients who undergo various surgical procedures, including gender-affirming surgery for consenting adults who seek such care,\u201d the school stated.<\/p>\n

The coursework is \u201cin alignment with medical principles of gender-affirming care outlined by numerous organizations,\u201d including the American Medical Association and the Endocrine Society.<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> followed up on Oct. 20 and asked again when transgender surgery was added to the course but did not receive a response. The Fix<\/em> asked Beth Israel\u2019s media team the same question and what specific surgeries are taught but did not receive a response to two inquiries sent in the past several weeks.<\/p>\n

The medical center’s surgical \u201cgender-affirming services\u201d include<\/a> hysterectomies, or uterus removal.<\/p>\n

One method involves \u201crobotic total laparoscopic hysterectomy with partial vaginectomy, colpectomy,\u201d removing the uterus and some vaginal tissue with machinery.<\/p>\n

The center also offers \u201cperi-areolar mastectomy\u201d and \u201cdouble incision mastectomy\u201d with \u201cnipple grafting\u201d to remove women\u2019s breasts. Women may also receive a phalloplasty or metoidioplasty, both of which involve the construction of an artificial penis using tissue removed from other parts of the body.<\/p>\n

Male patients at Beth Israel may receive \u201cpenile inversion\u201d surgery for the creation of a fake vagina, \u201cfacial feminization,\u201d and an orchiectomy, or the removal of testicles.<\/p>\n

Experts continue to evaluate the effects of transgender surgeries on patients\u2019 lives. In May, researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany found<\/a> that the procedures do not improve life satisfaction and are associated with increased feelings of loneliness and isolation.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Doctors should practice ‘anti-racist documentation,’ paper argues<\/a><\/p>\n

Major medical organizations that endorse \u201cgender-affirming\u201d surgery have also faced scrutiny for allowing a handful of individuals to dictate policy, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP is also currently a named defendant in a lawsuit<\/a> from an individual who underwent transgender surgeries despite red flags that should have halted approval.<\/p>\n

Studies from the United States supporting \u201cgender-affirming\u201d procedures have often come under scrutiny<\/a> based on their design. \u201cThe research is plagued by a multitude of methodological problems, including small sample sizes, short timeframes, losing subjects during follow-up, and reliance on self-evaluation,\u201d Nathanael Blake of the Ethics and Public Policy Center told<\/a> The Fix<\/em> in January.<\/p>\n

Harvard\u2019s teaching hospital has nonetheless earned the approval of activists and helped to shape the field of gender medicine since opening<\/a> its Gender-Affirming Services department in 2020.<\/p>\n

Beth Israel works closely with the LGBT organization Fenway Health and is part<\/a> of a New England coalition of \u201chealthcare professionals dedicated to improving access to gender-affirming care.\u201d It boasts a top-ranking score<\/a> in \u201chealthcare equality\u201d from the pro-LGBT Human Rights Campaign.<\/p>\n

Beth Israel\u2019s Director for Transgender Medicine, Dr. Michael Irwig, is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. He helped write the current version of the group\u2019s \u201cStandards of Care,\u201d an industry staple for transgender medical interventions at all age levels. Irwig is also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard.<\/p>\n

The medical school\u2019s course on \u201ccare\u201d for children who allegedly struggle with transgenderism is directed by LGBT activist Dr. Alex Keuroghlian of Fenway Health. Keuroghlian and other faculty led a $1.5 million project<\/a> to make the school\u2019s curriculum<\/a> more transgender-friendly in 2018, hoping to spark \u201cchange\u201d in the medical field.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Study finding no regret for top surgeries challenged by evidence group<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: A Dragan\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n

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