Our Methods
TRANS-ARC believes that the cumulative knowledge within wide networks of GGAS is necessary for approaching research meaningfully, prioritizing patient perspectives.
TRANS-ARC’s steering committee, made up of patients, community educators and advocates, surgeons, researchers, and care providers came together to develop a process for creating research questions.
We started with some examples below. We understand that our personal expertise and experience informed those questions, knowing that no one question in isolation was enough, and trusting that in concert we would be able to identify the path of our work together.
“Does using information and support from peers online make planning or recovering from surgery easier?”
~ Gaines Blasdel
“How can clinical teams approach pre- surgical education and care coordination for individuals seeking gender affirming surgery so they are best prepared for post-operative recovery?”
~ Amy Penkin, LCSW
“What is the impact of pre- and post-op pelvic physical therapy on post op sexual and urinary symptoms in transgender women undergoing vaginoplasty?”
~ Maddie Deutsch, MD, MPH
“Does peer-delivered pre- and post-surgical support and care navigation improve surgical outcomes?”
~ Jae Sevelius, PhD
“How does stopping vs. continuing estrogen prior to vaginoplasty impact post-operative venous thromboembolism rates and quality of life?”
~ Geolani Dy, MD
“How do various characteristics known to impact health outcomes more broadly (race, education, insurance coverage, income-level, immigration status, age etc.) influence the quality of care provided and the outcomes of gender affirming surgeries?”
~ Sachiko Ragosta