M.S. THESIS: Binary/Non-binary Trans-Men, Testosterone H.R.T. and Vaginal Atrophy: Changes in Pathogenic Susceptibility

Tiondrae Pier, Lianne Kurina, Andrew Hoffman, Michael Baiocchi

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Abstract excerpt

This work is an unstructured, narrative literature review and meta-synthesis concerning transgender medical care and core concepts to express the importance of advancement in transgender healthcare and potential interventions.

The scope of this piece targets biological aspects particular to trans-MSM (men who have sex with men) communities as evident and available points for health disparity mitigation, and notes of social and behavioral impacts in health disparity. Transgender populations are growing in population size and visibility while experiencing deficits in scientific research and clinical practice as a function of historical erasure, stigmatization, standing as a population minority, and resulting complication to binary representation in clinical practice and research. Healthcare providers mention feelings of incompetence treating transgender populations.

Trans-MSM in particular may operate inside behavioral and sexual health risk categories like cisgender MSM, but experience biological cascades not well understood by the clinical knowledge available. Testosterone HRT (hormone replacement therapy) enables potential reductions in gender dysphoria and access to different sexual networks.

Behavioral aspects merit exploration as an under-developed evidence base. Testosterone HRT can precipitate vaginal atrophy from treatment initiation, as far as two years into use of testosterone HRT. Vaginal atrophy may be related to histologic and physiologic changes in “female” genital tract linings that could heighten pathogenic susceptibility.

Local administration of estrogen to the vaginal lumen is known as a gold standard in cisgender women to remedy vaginal atrophy, and use of fractional CO2 laser stands as an innovation requiring fewer treatments and conferring beneficial effects with little known risks. (Finalized 21 August 2018)

“BO WEST” & CORN ROWS: QUOTIDIAN RACIAL PROJECTS IN COLORISM

Tiondrae Pier, Jenn Trahan

Stanford University, Stanford CA, USA (ENGLISH 152, Mixed-Race Politics and Culture)

Introduction

The Kardashian family occupies mainstream media space, stirs cultural controversy, and shows no signs of slowing. Over the past decade, family figurehead Kim Kardashian-West has commonly met adversity concerning her body aesthetics – skin color, bodily proportions and even hairstyle – and their intersections with colorism. Colorism operates as a cultural valuation of “lighter” skin and features – motivated by scientific racism and historical projects such as segregation. Mainstream cultural knowledge drives the understanding of Kardashian-West’s body aesthetics as those commonly seen in darker-skinned women, and motivates their valuation along lines of colorism.

“A racial project is [defined] simultaneously [as a] …representation…of racial dynamics, and an effort to…redistribute resources along particular racial lines” (Omi & Winant 56). January 29^th, 2018, Kardashian-West made a post to social media platform Instagram titled “BO WEST”, fraught with racial dynamics. The “BO WEST” image operates as a racial project as explained by Racial Formation in the United States. Omi and Winant explore how racial projects concurrently represent racial dynamics, and redistribute resources like finance, or cultural valuation according to these aforementioned racial dynamics. The posted image credits a phenotypically white actress as a source for a “corn row” hairstyle Kardashian-West wears in the photo. Not only does it credit the actress, the image offers cultural value to Kardashian-West that translates into resources for a hairstyle historically known to be of African/African-American origin. This hairstyle compounds with Kardashian-West’s body aesthetics in the photo, explicitly her lighter skin complexion. “BO WEST” is a quotidian racial project as defined by Omi and Winant’s work that reifies colorism in mainstream cultural knowledge.

Figure 1: “BO WEST.”, source. 

(Finalized 15 February 2018)

I have functioned as a resource for students across their careers in many cuts, and highly value the shared process of learning.

As I jointly completed my MS and BA with Stanford & the School of Medicine, I worked as a teaching assistant with the Human Biology department director Lianne Kurina to help facilitate her Introduction to the Health Statistics course. 

While completing my thesis, I set up a private instance of tutoring in which I supported a variety of clients: UCSF advanced-degree nurse practitioner candidates, to UNC-Chapel Hill PhD students and Princeton Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs advanced-degree students.

My specializations include: 

• Health contents & analysis
  
  • Principles of Epidemiology, Human Biology, Biostatistics
  • Medical writing
    • Thesis contents, literature review structure
  • Clinical research analysis & interpretation
    • Principles of clinical research and trial design
  • Stata software
    • Procuring, populating, cleaning, and manipulating datasets
  • Intersectional social justice practice and orientation as reflected in public health, biology, and epidemiology
  • Sexual health 
    • Socio-cultural and biological pathways
• Visual arts and design
  • Photoshop
  • Principles of brand design and establishment
• Gender, sex and sexuality/LGBTQ+ theory 
• Organization/optimization
• College essay preparation 
• Academic path strategy and holistic approach

Please do not hesitate to contact me for information on scheduling & potential spaces in which I can be of aid at: services@tiondraepier.com