Dr. Katie Imborek
The Iowa clinic, which has been operating on Tuesday nights since 2012, has seen more than 600 patients, with 80% coming from outside the county in which the clinic is located.
“Many providers feel like they haven’t had the appropriate training to provide medically competent care for transgender patients – including cross-sex hormones, referrals, and care coordination to ensure patients receive the mental health care, medications, and procedures needed to treat their gender dysphoria,” Dr. Imborek said.
Despite the knowledge gaps, a shift is definitely underway, she said. Dr. Tangpricha concurred, noting that the interest in WPATH’s training programs has increased dramatically.
“In the past, there was a CME program on transgender medicine every 2 years. Now we have courses every 3-4 months and we still can’t keep up with the demand. Employers and hospital systems are adopting transgender medicine as a covered benefit which has driven the need for physician education.”