Jamison Green, PhD.


President's Notes #1 from WPATH President Jamison Green

Dear WPATH Members:
For those of you who were able to join us in Bangkok you already know what a huge accomplishment and overall success the 2014 meeting was. The meeting not only held a record attendance of 538 registrants, the educational value along with the scientific and clinical exposure gained for transgender health was remarkable.

As the incoming President of the organization, following such strong leaders as Lin and Walter, I am committed to keeping WPATH on a fast track forward. I must first take a moment to thank all of the past leaders of WPATH, with a special shout out to Prof. Stephen Whittle, the first trans person to serve as president of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association and who presided over our change of name to WPATH. In addition, I extend a heartfelt thank you to our past Board Members, Executive Staff and of course you, our valued members, for the honor of serving as the President of WPATH for the coming two years.

I am very excited because I think this is an important time for WPATH, for all our varied professional interests in the field of transsexual and transgender health and human rights. Of course, it’s always an exciting time in this field, isn’t it? Because there is always so much to do!! And because the issues are so engaging, and the challenges so stimulating, and our colleagues and the trans people we meet and work with are so bright and interesting.

As your president, I have 4 main priorities that I feel will help move our Association forward: first, I believe we need to enhance our professional profile. Already we have had a major impact on medical and mental health practices and on laws and policies in many countries, however, far too many professionals who encounter transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming patients or clients or constituents are not familiar with the Standards of Care, the contributions our members have made to the field or the values WPATH espouses concerning the dignity and integrity of trans people. We need to increase our visibility and availability to our stakeholders, and to do this we must reinforce our infrastructure and develop programs that can sustain us and support our growth. Our membership has grown substantially over the past several years, and we should grow even larger, so we must increase our revenue through grants and programs to serve our membership and our mission.

Accordingly, my second priority is financial strength and fiscal management. Most of you know me as an activist, a writer and legal scholar, but I have enjoyed a 30 year career in corporate enterprise, in a variety of industries: telecommunications, medical device manufacturing, computer hardware design and manufacturing, software engineering and publications, and financial processing networks. I have had roles in these organizations an individual contributor, a manager, a director and a vice president of operations, so I have quite a bit of experience in project management, people management, and responsibility for large operating budgets. And WPATH’s budget is growing accordingly. We’ve done very well with what we have had, but we need to set our sights higher, and do considerably more fundraising from a wider variety of sources, so you will see much more activity in this arena.

Third, as we all know, there is a desperate need for increased valuable professional education in the field of transgender health, and I am solidly behind Dr. Lin Fraser’s vision of the Global Education Initiative, co-chaired by Dr. Gail Knudson, our new President-Elect, so we will be working together closely to realize this vision, which MUST include an emphasis on science and medical evidence, as well as principles of human rights.

And last, but certainly not least, is the ongoing work of maintaining, upgrading, and promoting the Standards of Care. This is our flagship product, and it is crucial to finish the translations that are already underway, and to raise the funds for the GIRES Challenge Grant to enable us to continue this work to make the principles and practices underlying quality care available to increasing numbers of healthcare providers, policymakers, and advocates who are working daily to ensure that transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people are able to receive appropriate, relevant care.

These priorities may not seem revolutionary, but I articulate them to show my intention to strengthen, sustain, and grow this vital organization. There will be a great deal of hard work ahead, and I am deeply appreciative of all our members and supporters whose energy and commitment to our field inspires us all. Once again, thank you for your enthusiasm and support. I look forward to these next two years of service.

Thank you all,

Jamison
WPATH President