2025 LGBTQ+ Section Annual Meeting highlights

The LGBTQ+ Section Annual Meeting was held June 6, in Chicago, Illinois.

The section welcomes new governing council members:

• John Loftus, MD: Member at-large
• Mallory Britz: MSS liaison
• Mollie Marr, MD: RFS liaison

We owe a heartfelt thank you to the governing council members who completed their terms for their service, contributions and many efforts to help lift the section and its infrastructure in its first year:

• Henry Ng, MD: Member at-large
• Bri Sohl, MD: RFS liaison
• Alex Tolbert, MD: MSS liaison

The section’s three committees—policy, research and education, and membership and engagement—shared updates on the committee’s work and goals for the past year. Read the reports for each committee. 

The section sponsored five resolutions for this meeting:

• 412: Supporting Inclusive Long-term Care Facilities
• 413: Preservation of Public Funding for LGBTQ+ Care
• 414: Expanding STI Care for Unstably Housed Individuals
• 506: Opposing Use of Harm Reduction Items as Evidence of Commercial Sex Work
• 003: Opposition to Censorship in Public Libraries           

The section also cosponsored the three resolutions:

• 304: Professionalism in Medical Training (with Medical Student Section)
• 417: US Food Subsidies & Public Health (with Residents and Fellows Section)
• 007: Inclusive Language in AMA Policy (with Medical Student Section)

Thank you to our two phenomenal presenters Adam Davies and Katharine Dalke, MD.

Adam Davies (they/them) is a rising second year medical student at the Feinberg School of Medicine with a commitment to advancing care and advocacy for individuals with variations in sex characteristics (VSC). Prior to medical school, they spent five years working with the SPROUT program at Lurie Children’s Hospital, supporting patients with VSCs and families through clinical care and community engagement. As someone with a VSC themself, Davies has been honored to serve on the board of InterConnect, an intersex support group. They have presented on VSC-related health issues at conferences, including the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and GLMA annual conferences, bringing visibility to this underdiscussed topic in adolescent and LGBTQ+ health. Their current research focuses on the transition from pediatric to adult care for patients with VSCs and measuring sexual violence prevalence in VSC communities. Davies has a growing interest in urology and hopes to continue integrating patient-centered advocacy within academic medicine.

Katharine Dalke, MD, MBE, is the Benjamin Rush associate professor in clinical psychiatry and vice chair for clinical operations in psychiatry. She is a board certified psychiatrist with concentrations in LGBTQI+ mental health and clinical administration. Dr. Dalke earned her BA from Haverford College and MD and Masters in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed psychiatry residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as chief resident, and has held a range of clinical, educational, and diversity, equity and inclusion leadership roles at Penn and Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Dalke has been recognized with numerous awards for excellence in teaching and contributions to LGBTQI+ health and diversity, equity and inclusion. Her scholarly work focuses on the mental health of individuals with intersex populations, especially that which informs policies and models that promote culturally responsive health care. Dr. Dalke currently serves as chair of the Pennsylvania Governor's Commission on LGBTQ Affairs.

This CME accredited presentation focused on:

1. The evolution of the medical approach to intersex patients with regard to gender identity and surgical intervention.
2. Reflect on the experiences of intersex individuals in order to develop or deepen empathy for intersex or DSD patients.
3. Apply concepts in diverse sex development into recognizing patient identities and health care needs.

For additional information on the 2025 LGBTQ+ Section Annual Meeting, visit the section's agenda and resources page.