Elevate Care for LGBTQ+ Patients with Expert-led Sessions on Best Practices
2024 Registration is LIVE - get tickets now!The One Iowa Midwest LGBTQ Health and Wellness Conference is dedicated to the holistic health of LGBTQ individuals in the Midwest. This inclusive event welcomes all those involved in LGBTQ health, including healthcare professionals, mental health practitioners, and healthcare support staff. Physicians, therapists, social workers, dentists, physical therapists, community health workers, and medical students are all invited to participate.
The 2024 conference will be held in person in Iowa City on Monday, September 23rd, at the Courtyard Marriott at University Heights.
Focused on navigating the interlocking systems of care for LGBTQ community members and addressing associated barriers, the conference prioritizes submissions that emphasize intersectionality and the liberation of all LGBTQ people. Sessions that tackle issues such as racism, ableism, xenophobia, rurality, fatphobia, and classism are highly valued in the selection process.
Opening Keynote - Dr. Loren Schechter
Dr. Schechter started his medical career with a desire to care for a wide range of people, from children to adults of all genders. He has always been motivated to help patients find solutions to complex surgical challenges.
That motivation has driven him to become an internationally recognized expert in genitourinary reconstruction and surgery. After attending medical school at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, he pursued his residency and fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center in the fields of plastic and reconstructive surgery, as well as reconstructive microsurgery.
He has practiced plastic surgery and LGBTQ+ care for over 20 years with a focus on chest surgery, breast surgery and genitourinary surgery. He provides treatment to patients with a variety of needs, both reconstructive and cosmetic. At RUSH, he performs procedures using cutting-edge technology with a comprehensive approach, consulting with colleagues in medicine, primary care, endocrine, behavioral health, mental health, social services, rehab services and occupational therapy.
Schechter’s patients praise his care as individualized, with keen attention to detail. He wants each patient to walk away from their first appointment knowing that they’ve had a thorough evaluation and that their goals and needs have been addressed thoroughly. Schechter most looks forward to patients expressing their satisfaction with their results and that their goals have been met. For him, that is the mark of truly successful care. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, jogging, golf and spending time with family.
Dr. Schechter will be presenting his keynote virtually from the WPATH Conference (World Professional Association for Transgender Health)
2024 Registration is LIVE - get tickets now!Closing Keynote - Charlie Adams
Charlie Adams (he/him) is a proud transgender man and a fourth-year medical student at Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has served as the Executive Director of KCU’s Medical Student Pride Alliance and as the 2023–2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Medical Student Section.
Charlie has a background in grassroots advocacy and was Master of Ceremonies at the Standing for Trans Patients Rally and March. This event was a response to the Missouri Attorney General’s attempt to illegalize gender-affirming care for adults and won the AMA Medical Student Section’s Project of the Year. Charlie has a vote in the AMA House of Delegates on behalf of the state of Missouri, where he has testified on the floor multiple times regarding transgender rights.
He has led policy efforts at the AMA and Missouri State Medical Association regarding trans menstrual inclusivity and gender-affirming care protections. He was featured in the Washington Post for his frequent testimony at the Missouri Capitol on trans rights and has also been quoted in USA Today. Charlie was a competitive runner for years and currently enjoys creating online content about transgender people, health equity and his unique lived experiences as a trans man in medicine.
2024 Registration is LIVE - get tickets now!
