Mark Blumenthal, MD

President of the Medical Staff and Associate Chair of Pediatrics, Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Dr. Blumenthal received his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and completed his medical education at the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. He graduated from the Yale Pediatric Residency Program in 1993 and has been working at Pediatric Associates of Wellesley since 1994. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and enjoys seeing patients in all areas of pediatrics. Dr. Blumenthal is the Current President of the Medical Staff at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and has been the Associate Chairman of Pediatrics at the hospital since 1997. In addition, he is the school physician for multiple schools in the area. He is also a Past President of the Rotary club of Natick and is very active in substance abuse issues in town.

Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD

Medical Director, Massachusetts General Hospital -Transgender Health Program

Dr. Goldstein serves as the Medical Director of the Transgender Health Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-leads the hospital-wide initiative to improve care for the transgender and non-binary communities. He is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Assistant in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Goldstein is an Infectious Disease physician and primary care provider at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Jessica Halem, MBA

LGBTQ Outreach and Engagement Director, Harvard Medical School

Jessica Halem, MBA, is the LGBTQ Outreach and Engagement Director at Harvard Medical School and remains unique in her role among medical schools in the United States. Under her leadership, the first-year class has grown from 4% to 15% self-identified LGBTQ and the faculty and resident OutList has quadrupled in size. Most recently, she secured a major grant to overhaul the entire curriculum to integrate sexual and gender minority health equity. Prior to joining Harvard, Jessica ran the Lesbian Community Cancer Project in Chicago, where she implemented the nation’s first cultural competency trainings for the CDC, served on then-candidate Obama’s first LGBT Advisory Committee, and fought for the inclusion of transgender health on the national agenda since 2001. Jessica has published on treating transgender patients (AMA Journal of Ethics, 2016), optimism and organizational change (Medical Care, 2018), and mentoring across difference (Mentoring Diverse Leaders, Routledge, 2017). She coaches students, faculty, and administrators on dealing with difficult moments and is a nationally sought-out speaker on issues of workplace diversity and inclusion. She currently serves on the Board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

Ruben Hopwood, MDiv, PhD

Hopwood Counseling and Consulting

Dr. Ruben Hopwood is the Director of the Cambridge-based firm, Hopwood Counseling & Consulting, and a Visiting Researcher at the Danielsen Institute at Boston University. He has over 14 years of experience working with gender diverse populations and with providers in integrated health care. Dr. Hopwood is the former manager of the Transgender Health Program at Fenway Health in Boston and was instrumental in that program's growth from 115 to over 5,200 patients. Currently he provides consultation and training for mental health and medical professionals to build sensitivity and competency in care of transgender and non-binary people. He is a nationally-known speaker and a peer-reviewed author on issues of gender diversity, mental health, aging, and spiritually-integrative psychotherapy.

Robyn Ochs, EdM, CSS

Editor, Bi Women’s Quarterly

Robyn Ochs, Ed.M., is an educator, speaker, advocate, and editor of Bi Women Quarterly and two anthologies: Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World and RECOGNIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men. Robyn has spoken in 48 U.S. States and in 15 other countries. An advocate for the rights of people of ALL orientations and genders to live safely, openly and with full access and opportunity, Robyn’s work focuses on increasing awareness and understanding of complex identities. Robyn’s interests include LGBTQ+ youth; identity development; bisexual identity; and bisexual health. She has a forthcoming book chapter on the experiences bisexual people have in their interactions with health care providers.