Research & Education

The UCLA Gender Health Program supports a number of clinical trials and educational opportunities.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are an important step in discovering new medical treatments. Each study is conducted with actual patients and is designed to answer scientific questions and to find new and better ways to provide care for our transgender and gender diverse patients. The following UCLA clinical trials are currently open for enrollment:

The Gender Dysphoria Study

Study title: Gender identity and own body perception – implications for the neurobiology of gender dysphoria 

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• Study description: This study is about exploring what neurological and genetic factors may contribute to the development of transgender identity. We are recruiting self-identified transgender and cisgender individuals between age 18-40 to participate in a brain imaging study. For the purposes of this study, we define gender identity as a person’s sense of being male or female, neither of these, both, or other gender or genders. We define transgender as individuals whose gender identity is different from their sex assigned at birth. We define gender dysphoria as distress regarding one’s sex assigned at birth. We want to understand the neurobiology of gender dysphoria and the interactions between sex hormone therapy treatment, the brain, and the body phenotype.
• Principal investigator: Jamie Feusner, M.D., UCLA Psychiatry
• UCLA IRB approval: IRB#11-000459
• Contact information:
  Call/text: 323-863-3431
  Email: csheen@mednet.ucla.edu
  Website: https://www.semel.ucla.edu/transgender
• Flyer PDF > 

My Microbes & Me

Study title: My Microbes & Me

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• Study Description: We’re conducting a voluntary research study with healthy young people, where we’re looking at how the good microbes in the gut and other parts of the body change as you grow and develop, and how hormones may change these microbes. The study lasts 2 ½ years, and includes providing samples, answering questions about what you eat and things you do, measuring height, weight, blood pressure, and body changes, and getting information from your medical record.
• UCLA Principal investigator: Grace Aldrovandi, M.D., UCLA Department of Pediatrics
• UCLA IRB approval: IRB#17-000136
• Contact information: NJCunningham@ucla.mednet.edu
• Flyer PDF > 

Adolescent and Parent Stress

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Study title: Adolescent and parent stress and support related to adolescent gender identity

• Study Description: This research study is for transgender adolescents and one of their parents. The study seeks to better understand gender identity development, stress, support and needs of transgender adolescents and their parents as a family and as individuals.
• UCLA Principal investigator: Shannon L. Dunlap
• UCLA IRB Approvel: IRB#17-000640
• Contact Information: Tel: 310-780-3386 or Email: shandunlap@ucla.edu
• Website: https://www.semel.ucla.edu/transgender
• Flyer PDF > 

LGBTQ+ Teen Resiliency

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Study title: LGBTQ+ Teen Resiliency Study

• Study Description: This study offers LGBTQ+ (all identities welcome) teens an 8-session class that teaches practical skills for managing stress and negative emotions. The class is for teens 12-17 years old who have experienced low moods, depression, and/or anxiety. Participants are offered $175 for completing the class and providing feedback about the class. The class takes place on Wednesday evenings at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience in Westwood.
• UCLA Principal investigator: Natalie Ramos, MD, UCLA Psychiatry
• UCLA IRB Approvel: IRB #16-­001493
• Contact Information: Email: LGBTQgroup@mednet.ucla.edu or Tel: 310-825-0385
• Flyer PDF > 

For more information about clinical trials at UCLA:
UCLA Office of Clinical Trials

Educational Opportunities

LGBTQ Healthcare Fellowship

LGBTQ Healthcare Fellowship Program 2020 – 2021
The objective of the UCLA LGBTQ Healthcare Fellowship is to train future primary care physicians to be sensitive, comfortable, clinically knowledgeable and culturally competent in delivering healthcare to sexual and gender minority patient populations.

For more detailed information >
To apply >

Related UCLA Newsroom story >