The UF department of psychiatry held their Health Equity and Diversity Day Friday, February 17th at the UF Health Psychiatric Hospital.
The day kicked off with a lunch at the Psychiatric Hospital followed by a presentation from Mary Barber, MD, MDiv. Dr. Barber became an Episcopal priest after a twenty year career in public sector psychiatry. She serves two small churches in New York’s Hudson Valley. Prior to entering seminary, she was clinical director of Rockland Psychiatric Center, the largest state hospital system in New York. Her talk was titled “From Recovery to Justice: Reconsidering Old Stories”. Topics of disability and barriers to person-centered care were discussed along with examples of transformative systematic changes and patient intersectionality and its impact on health.
The second portion of the day was concentrated on a panel of healthcare professionals that make up the University of Florida Youth Gender Program. They discussed the members of the teams and their roles, how to provide supportive and affirming care to gender-diverse patients and their families and discussed the importance of having a medical-legal partnership. Speakers on the panel included:
- Michael Shapiro, MD – Associate Professor, Psychiatry
- Kristin Dayton, MD – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology
- Stephine Ryan, MD – Associate Professor, General Pediatrics
- Jennifer Evans, PsyD – Adjunct Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology
- Simone Chriss, Esq – Director of Transgender Rights Institute, Southern Legal Counsel
