Norman P. Spack is an American pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital, where he co-founded the hospital's Gender Management Service (GeMS) clinic in February 2007. It was America's first clinic to treat transgender children,[1][2] modeled after a similar Dutch system.[3] He is an internationally known specialist in treatment for intersex and transgender youth, and is one of the first doctors in the United States[4] to advocate prescribing hormone replacement therapy to minors.[5] Spack, who is Jewish, has been an advocate for transgender resources and support groups for the Jewish community.[6]
Spack has been consulted to discuss trans medical issues, often specifically pediatric, in media outlets such as 20/20,[7] Time,[8] The Atlantic,[9] National Public Radio.,[10][11][12] and TEDTalk.[13] He wrote the foreword of the 2008 book The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals.
Early life and education
editSpack earned his undergraduate degree at Williams College and graduated from Rochester School of Medicine in 1969.[14]
Work with transgender children
editIn 1985, Spack began working with transgender patients professionally.[13] He argues that instead of being a mental disorder, transgenderism is a medical condition, and has been quoted as saying that "looking at transgenderism from a medical perspective will change the public perception that it is a psychological problem".[15] Spack is also the senior associate in the endocrine division at Boston Children's Hospital. He helped co-found a treatment plan at the clinic called Gender Services Program (GeMS) that aims to slow puberty down for children questioning their gender.[15] According to Spack, "the primary goal of the GeMS clinic is to provide medical treatment to appropriately screen gender-dysphoric adolescents, along with the comprehensive psychological evaluation recommended by the Adolescent Gender Identity Research Group (AGIR) and the Endocrine Society for making this clinical decision. The clinic does not currently provide ongoing mental health services to patients and families, but assists families in finding appropriate mental health therapists in their communities. The current clinic director is Dr. Jeremi Carswell.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Transgender At 10". Wweek.com. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
- ^ "New clinic addresses intersex and gender issues". Pediatric Views. April 2007. Archived from the original on 12 May 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/6/e2022057475/185685/Caught-in-the-Middle-The-Care-of-Transgender-Youth [bare URL]
- ^ Spack, Norman. "Transgenderism overview". www.imatyfa.org. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
A model protocol currently employed in the Netherlands begins with a lengthy screening process in gender-variant pubescent teens at the "Tanner 2″ stage of pubertal development: breast budding in girls and testicular volumes of 8 cc, preceding phallic enlargement in boys. At this stage the pubertal manifestations are reversible. GnRH analogues are given for at least two years, potentially until age 16, when adolescents in the Netherlands are capable of giving informed consent to receive crosshormones.
- ^ Kennedy, Pagan (30 March 2008). "Q&A with Norman Spack". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ "Boston doctor finds treating transgender youth a transforming experience". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
- ^ Goldberg, Alan B. (25 April 2007). "Born in the wrong body". ABC 20/20. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Laura (8 November 2007). "The gender conundrum". Time. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Rosin, Hanna (November 2008). "A Boy's Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Spiegel, Alix (8 May 2008). "Q&A: Doctors on puberty-delaying treatments". National Public Radio. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Spiegel, Alix (8 May 2008). "Parents consider treatment to delay son's puberty". National Public Radio. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Going Female | WBUR and NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook
- ^ a b Nichols, James (23 April 2014). "How This Doctor Helps Transgender Teens Become Who They Want To Be". HuffPost. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Medical Degrees". The Jewish News. No. VVIII. 13 June 1969. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b Underwood, Alice E. M. "Doctor Promotes Medical View of Transgenderism | News | The Harvard Crimson." Doctor Promotes Medical View of Transgenderism | News | The Harvard Crimson. N.p., 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
- ^ "Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) | Meet Our Team | Boston Children's Hospital".