Gender Diversity Program 

The mission of the Gender Diversity Program is to increase access to transgender competent and gender-affirming care for youth up to adults. In addition to clinical care, the program also seeks to educate community physicians, local schools, and organizations on gender diversity in order to reduce the health disparities documented for transgender individuals.

The UCI Gender Diversity Program is Orange County’s only multidisciplinary program caring specifically for transgender and gender-diverse youth and adults. Recognizing the lack of services available for the transgender community, UCI saw an opportunity to initiate a unique program that could model best practices for other providers locally and regionally. Gender Diversity has trained over 900 physicians, trainees, mental health providers, and medical staff. We also provide training to local schools on how to create environments that are friendly and welcoming for all students regardless of their gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation. In addition, we educate transgender individuals and their loved ones about gender-affirming hormone treatment, puberty suppression, navigating insurance, and the importance of mental health. Community outreach is vital to increase awareness and understanding of the wide range of gender diversity in children, adolescents, and adults. 

UCI Faculty

• Ajanta Naidu, MD, MBA, FACE, FAAP — Division Chief, UCI Pediatrics Endocrinology Director, UCI Health Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Services, Gottschalk Medical Plaza | She, Her 
  • Academic profile
  • Clinical profile
• Jeff Vu, DNP, MBA, RN, FNP-BC | He, Him
• Brit Cervantes Program Coordinator Community Education Specialist, Patient Care Advocate | They, Them or He, Him 
• Maryjane Vennat, MD | She, Her

 Learn more about our Gender Diversity Program Services ›

Community Resources 

In an effort to increase access to social support for patients and their families that is necessary to improve the overall physical, emotional, and mental health of our patients and the community that we serve the UCI Gender Diversity Program has committed to creating sustainable and meaningful partnerships with other community and nonprofit organizations. Such organizations include:

The LBGTQ Center Orange County provides services to more than 14,000 individuals annually across a broad spectrum of culture, ethnicity, age, and economic background. Programming is specially designed for gay men, lesbians, youth, the transgender community, the Spanish-speaking LGBTQ community, the bisexual community, and LGBTQ families.

PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies. PFLAG is committed to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed.

Viet Rainbow of Orange County (VROC) is a community-based and volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Vietnamese Americans with a diverse prism of sexual orientations and gender identities. Through advocacy, engagement, education, and supportive services we aim to empower our communities for a more equitable, safe, and unified Vietnamese diaspora and expand its voice in the broader society.

Radiant Health Centers provides direct care to more than 5,000 men, women, children, and families in Orange County. Our social services include food, transportation, housing, emergency financial assistance, kids and family and senior programs, support groups, benefits counseling and HIV education and prevention services. Our clinical services include testing and treatment for HIV, STDs and HepC. We also provide birth control and family planning for the LGBTQ+ community regardless of their HIV status.

Seeking MORE LGBTQ Friendly Resources? 

UCI Gender Diversity Blog 

Provider and Providers Education 

UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health is a multidisciplinary program consisting of experts in transgender medicine and surgery at UCSF Medical Center. Our aim is to provide evidence-based, cutting-edge clinical care for transgender and gender non-binary communities.

Endocrine Society is a global community of physicians and scientists dedicated to accelerating scientific breakthroughs and improving patient health and well being; Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender Incongruent Persons 

World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, interdisciplinary professional and educational organization devoted to transgender health.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults;​  American Academy of Pediatrics Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents  

According to The National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Report on Health and Health Care, a report of more than 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming people, access to health care “is regularly denied to transgender and gender non-conforming people.”¹ Key findings include:

 · Nearly one in five reported being refused care outright

 · 28% of participants postponed medical care when sick or injured

 · 28% of respondents were subjected to harassment within medical settings

 · 50% of the sample reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender care, highlighting significant gaps in provider knowledge. Respondents reported more than four times the national average of HIV infection. Rates for transgender women, those unemployed, or who have engaged in sex work were even higher. 

· A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general population. 

The report also found that when transgender people get the care they need, they experience significant benefits; 78% of transgender people reported improved psychological functioning after receiving gender-confirming treatment. Similarly, Olson and colleagues found that children supported in their gender identity and allowed to transition socially do not have elevated levels of

depression and only minimal elevations in anxiety, suggesting that psychopathology is not inevitable for these children.

Support Pediatric, Adolescent, and Adult Gender Diversity Program