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Lakesha N. Williams, MD, MS, Primary Care Physician, Family Medicine, Fenway Health; Curriculum Development Fellow, Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity Initiative, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Lakesha (Kesha) Williams is a Family Medicine physician at Fenway Health South End and a first year curriculum development fellow for the Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity Initiative at Harvard Medical School. In addition to their clinical responsibilities of providing primary care, they spend their time within the fellowship working with their colleagues on projects of curricular and faculty development, and learner assessment to address gaps in medical education relating to health across the sexuality and gender spectrum. They trained at Tufts Family Medicine Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance where they served as chief resident and dedicated their time to developing workshops to improve education and awareness around health disparities affecting communities of color and sexual and gender minorities. Prior to starting medical school, they were an educator and devoted a lot of their time to helping underrepresented and socioeconomically marginalized youth find their potential in STEM. Their journey to medicine carried them through an unconventional yet inspiring path and left them with the impression that no one’s right now should dictate the extent of their later. Through their passion for mentorship, advocacy, humanism, and most importantly, action, they have embraced their unique perspective of what a doctor looks like, and uses that to empower their work in advancing the delivery of high-quality, equitable health care.
Julie joined Fenway Health in 2010 as a primary care provider and specializes in LGBTQ health, high-resolution anoscopy, and is an HIV Specialist through the American Academy of HIV Medicine. In 2018 she was named Medical Director of the Transgender Health Program, previously serving as Co-Director since 2016, and works to guide Fenway’s multidisciplinary team approach to provide high-quality, informed care to the gender diverse community. Julie is also core faculty on TransECHO and TransLINE, both of which are transgender medical consultative services for health care providers across the country.
Madina Agénor, ScD, MPH is the inaugural Gerald R. Gill Assistant Professor of Race, Culture, and Society in the Department of Community Health at Tufts University where she is Director of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Experiences Lab. She is also Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine and Adjunct Faculty at The Fenway Institute. As a social epidemiologist and health services researcher, Dr. Agénor investigates health and health care inequities in relation to various dimensions of social inequality – especially sexual orientation, gender identity, and race/ethnicity – using an intersectional lens. Her research seeks to elucidate the patient-, provider-, and policy-level social determinants of sexual and reproductive health and cancer screening and prevention among socially and economically marginalized populations, especially women and girls of color, sexual minority women and girls, transgender and non-binary individuals, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people of color. Prior to joining the Tufts faculty, Dr. Agénor was Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also served as a Cancer Prevention Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She holds a Doctor of Science (ScD) in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and a bachelor’s degree (AB, magna cum laude with Honors)in Community Health and Gender Studies from Brown University
Allegra (she/her) is a social epidemiologist who uses quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand the mental and physical health impacts of discrimination as well as the effects of gender norms and stereotypes on the health of young people across sexual orientations and gender identities. Allegra has worked in the field of LGBTQ health for nearly 20 years, first as a sexuality educator and HIV counselor and then in program evaluation and community health research. She earned her doctorate in Social & Behavioral Sciences with a concentration in Women, Gender, and Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She holds an MPH in Sociomedical Sciences with a concentration in Sexuality and Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and a BA in Education and Environmental Studies from Swarthmore College. Current projects examine: the relationship between gender expression and health behaviors among U.S. adolescents; the effects of the social and policy environment on substance use and health-related quality of life among three generations of sexual minorities; the links between body image, intimate relationships, and sexual health among transgender and non-binary young adults; and the impacts of weight stigma and other eating disorders risk factors on sexual and gender minority populations.
Grace Sterling Stowell has been a pioneering activist and leader in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) youth, transgender and social justice communities for over 40 years. As a gender non-conforming child growing up queer and transgender in the 1960’s, Grace’s personal experiences of harassment, discrimination and violence served as a catalyst for her activism in the feminist, racial justice, holistic health, and LGBTQ movements of the 1970’s. In 1980, Grace joined the founders of the newly formed Boston Alliance of LGBTQ Youth (BAGLY), one of the earliest LGBTQ youth groups in the nation. As BAGLY’s first (and only) executive director, Grace led youth and adult leaders in its expansion from a Boston-based, all volunteer, grassroots social support group, to an established statewide non-profit organization, including the AGLY Network of Massachusetts. BAGLY’s youth-led programs were among the first of their kind, and have served as a local and national model and resource for LGBTQ youth leadership development and community organizing.
In the 1990’s, Grace was a leader in the pioneering national movement to expand community organizing, advocacy, and support for the LGBTQ youth and transgender communities. Grace was a founding member of several local and national LGBTQ youth and transgender advocacy organizations, including the National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) for LGBTQ youth, and she is believed to be the first openly transgender person to address the health care issues of trans youth with senior staff at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA.
As executive director of BAGLY, a founding member of both the MA Commission on LGBTQ Youth and the MA Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Commission, and long time Steering Committee member of the MA Transgender Political Coalition, Grace continues to advocate for the needs of LGBTQ youth and transgender communities throughout the Commonwealth. Most recently, Grace was among the leaders of the successful effort to add gender identity to the Massachusetts non-discrimination laws in 2011, expand gender identity protections in public accommodations in 2016, and defend gender identity protections at the statewide ballot box as part of the Freedom MA Yes On 3 Campaign in 2018.
Lore is a proudly fat non-binary trans person (pronouns: they/them) who has dedicated their life to helping people develop celebratory, safe, and sustainable movement practices; providing engaging and empowering presentations regarding how to shape a world that honors body diversity; providing consultation services to businesses, organizations, and fitness facilities that are interested in improving their accessibility and diversity; and facilitating conversations regarding fat acceptance, trans inclusion, and intersectionality.
They are the founder and owner of Positive Force Movement, a non-traditional gym in Rochester, NY. The mission of Positive Force Movement is to make elite, top-level coaching and wellness services available to people who have historically not felt welcomed by the fitness industry in a way that honors the full selves and identities of all who seek our services; our vision is to build a world in which all people who have experienced systemic marginalization have the opportunity to develop a joyful, playful, and empowering relationship to movement in a way that honors the holistic needs of each person. They have been featured in articles on Vice, Self Magazine, Medium, Gymcloud, Well & Good, and others.
Tanekwah is a community organizer, activist, and health educator who is dedicated to uplifting and empowering marginalized communities, especially women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. As the Racial Justice Community Advocate at the ACLU of Massachusetts, she organizes on issues related to criminal justice, voting rights, and government accountability with community partners across the state.
Her activism has been featured on local television as well as in print in Vice, Scout Cambridge, and Feminist Formations. As the former Women’s Health Program Coordinator at Fenway Health, she is excited to return to her stomping ground for this panel.
Chien-Chi Huang is the founder of Asian Breast Cancer Project and is presently the Executive Director of Asian Women for Health. A skilled and passionate community advocate, Chien-Chi was the Asian Community Program Manager at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling from 2006 to 2011 and she spearheaded several new health initiatives addressing the unique issues and challenges facing the Asian American community. These initiatives included Asian American Problem Gambling Outreach efforts, Asian American Women’s Mental Health Symposium, Asian American Mental Health Forum, and Immigrants and Refugees Mental Health Network.
A deft community organizer and trainer, Chien-Chi has provided capacity building, technical guidance and network enhancement to community-based organizations and providers serving Asian Americans in the Commonwealth. She has participated in several CBPR training and received grants from several organizations such as the Institute for Community Health Program Planning at Dana Farber, the Saffron Circle, the American Psychological Association, and the Massachusetts Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Both mainstream and Asian media outlets have featured Chien-Chi’s efforts and highlighted her dedication to reducing health disparities related to gambling addiction, mental health, and breast cancer. She also serves on the following committees: the National Advisory Panel on Addressing Disparities for PCORI (Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute), the National Advisory Council for Asian & Pacific Islander National Cancer Survivors Network, the Dana Farber Community Benefits External Advisory Committee, the Steering committee for the AIM for Equity Network, Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Community Advisory Committee, the Somerville Commission for Women, and participates fully in the Disparities & Health Equity Workgroup of Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Prevention & Control Program.