Pride Month continues with special one-hour, virtual events hosted by the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital LGBTQIA+ Committee and Education and Consultative Services. On June 23, 2021 we hope you will join us for a special training session on "The Importance of Family Support for Transgender Youth and Young Adults" presented by Dana Rofey, PhD.

To Register for this Event. Please click here to register and you'll be sent the program link and instructions on 6/22/21. Participants from outside of the UPMC family (those without a UPMC/Pitt affiliated e-mail address) will need to pay $30 at this site before they will be sent the link for the program. 

Speaker Information. Dr. Rofey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Psychology, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and Rehabilitative Science and Technology. She brings a strong background in clinical care and research focused on the relationships among weight and eating, psychological well-being and health, especially in minority adolescents and young adults. Dr. Rofey earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Bucknell University and her clinical psychology degree at the University of Cincinnati. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and her postdoctoral training at Children’s Hospital and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.

Dr. Rofey has conducted studies that focus on psychosocial aspects of adolescent and young adult health, with an emphasis on regulatory processes in diverse populations. Recently, she has spent her time working on federally- and foundation-funded grants focusing on: Developing group-based care models for transgender youth; devising more user-friendly actigraphy for adolescents with obesity, substance use, and partner violence; community-partnered, stakeholder-engaged obesity work within primary care; developing an evidence-based transition program for adolescents moving from pediatric to adult care; ameliorating obesity and depression in adolescents with PCOS and diabetes; increasing health promotion in high-risk adolescents; and investigating the effect that pediatric weight management can have on cognitive, functional, and structural brain-based changes in adolescents with and without diabetes. Most recently, she has received foundation support to develop support groups for transgender adolescents, as well as groups for parents and children who are gender fluid and gender expansive with a focus on optimizing mental and physical health. She is the author and co-author of numerous articles that have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. She is a reviewer for several journals and serves on boards for the Academy for Eating Disorders, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and The Obesity Society.

Continuing Education Credits.  Continuing education credits are available. Click here for details.

Learning Objectives. At the completion of this presentation, participants should be able to:

1. Identify the importance of family support for transgender youth.

2. Identify methods to facilitate conversation in families that are not immediately embracing of their child identifying as transgender.

3. Enhance intervention skills to use in bringing parents alongside LGBTQ+ youth.

For More Information.  Please contact Doreen Barkowitz at barkowitzdh@upmc.edu.