Brigham and Women’s Hospital
The Robert G. Fenley Writing Awards: General Staff Writing
Gold
Best in Show Finalist
“Soul Meets Body: The Lifesaving Power of Gender-Affirming Care” explores how Brigham and Women’s Hospital is working to improve gender-affirming care, featuring the perspectives of patients, clinicians, and researchers with direct experience and expertise in this area of medicine.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
This feature marked the first time Brigham, our flagship magazine, and possibly any of our development publications, has reflected the trans and gender-diverse patient community in a meaningful way. Producing this article helped inform the entire issue’s gender-inclusive lens and continues to influence how our development office communicates about sex and gender in medicine.
What challenge did you overcome?
From Lauren Thompson: I was initially intimidated by the task of finding trans and gender-diverse patients who would be willing to interview for this story. Once I managed to speak to two patients, I worried about doing their stories justice, considering the deeply personal insights they shared. In the end, getting to know these patients and their caregivers at Brigham has been one of the most profound experiences of my writing career. I feel proud and humbled that the subjects of this story felt their participation was positive and will help more people understand the life-saving importance of gender-affirming care.
Contact: Joy Howard
jhoward6@bwh.harvard.edu