In this episode of The Resident Review, we’re joined by Dr. Blair Peters (they/he), a double-fellowship trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgery and peripheral nerve surgery at OHSU in Portland, Oregon. We discuss their clinical and academic work in gender-affirming surgery, as both a gender-affirming medical provider and a vocal, visible member of the transgender & gender-diverse community.
We discuss the harms of false binary narratives in gender-affirming care, the importance of patient-reported outcome measures and unique perspectives to be gained from interdisciplinary training within reconstructive surgery. We also discuss challenges faced by those who are traditionally underrepresented in surgery, and Dr. Peters shares tips for aspiring gender-affirming microsurgeons.
Topics Discussed:
Can you share how you first got interested in surgery, and reconstructive surgery in particular?
Could you talk a bit about how you define gender-affirming surgery, and how it relates to reconstructive surgery in general?
How does your definition of gender-affirming surgery intersect with the recently-released WPATH Standards of Care 8?
Regarding diverse representation in surgery – is medicine & surgery is trailing progressive movements in greater society – or vice versa?
Can you discuss the harms that can be caused by use of overly-binarized language in gender-affirming surgery – such as the persistence of terms like “masculinizing” vs. “feminizing” ?
What is the role of the mainstream media and scientific literature in the politicization of gender-affirming healthcare? How does that connect to the incidence of post-surgical regret and detransition?
Discussions of gender-affirming surgery in adolescents, and how that compares to the risks of experiencing a gender-incongruous puberty.
The harms of legislative efforts to marginalize transgender and gender diverse individuals – and how that connects with intersex patients or those with differences in sexual development.
#bothAND: the challenges and emotional work of being an advocate or healthcare provider for the transgender and gender-diverse community — while also being a member of that same community.
‘Professionalism’ and the role of academic conferences & networking, especially for surgical trainees who are historically underrepresented in our fields.
The power of interdisciplinary training in hand & peripheral nerve surgery — how it applies to reconstructive genital surgery.
The importance of stakeholder engagement in patient-reported outcomes research – especially trans and gender-diverse patients, physical therapists, sex therapists and the perspectives of those with lived experience.
The importance of video-based education for surgical trainees, especially for reconstructive genital surgery — what other advice would you have for aspiring gender-affirming microsurgeons?
