G. Nic RiderNobel Conference 58

G. Nic Rider

Assistant Professor and Transgender Health Service Program Coordinator, Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, Director, National Center for Gender Spectrum Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School

Radical Healing and Inclusive Change-Making: Centering Transgender and Gender Diverse Communities

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people–those whose experiences of their gender do not match the gender they were assigned at birth–face substantial health disparities when compared to their cisgender counterparts (persons whose gender experience corresponds to their assigned gender). TGNC adolescents are significantly affected by mental health disparities and, in addition, have difficulty accessing and receiving health care. Research in this field is often hampered by its reliance on small, non representative samples of adults. By examining the mental and physical health of youth across perceived gender expressions within the TGNC sample, health care providers could better screen for health risks and identify barriers to care for TGNC youth, while also promoting and bolstering wellness within the community.

Rider’s scholarly work focuses on health disparities, minority stressors, and care utilization among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, and documents the critical need for affirmative, culturally sensitive, high-quality prevention and intervention strategies for this underserved community. One study examined healthcare disparities and resilience factors in TGNC adolescents, using mixed methods strategies. Rider recently received a grant to conduct research on the health and healthcare needs of LGBTQ refugees in East Africa.

G. Nic Rider is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. They are also a licensed psychologist and serve as the UMN Transgender Health Services Coordinator. Their clinical training includes psychotherapy and assessment experiences in a university counseling center, hospital settings, private practice, community clinic, residential treatment, and juvenile justice settings. Rider received a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. They were also the first Randi and Fred Ettner Postdoctoral Fellow in Transgender Health at the Program in Human Sexuality, University of Minnesota Medical School and received the UMN Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Award in 2018. 

Rider's talk: 

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents and adults contend with social-structural factors based on their intersecting identities and social positions. These factors affect their everyday lives and are associated with health disparities and unmet needs. The strengths of TGD individuals, however, are often overlooked and underappreciated, but are necessary to promote resilience and radical healing. This talk will describe radical healing for TGD communities, including collective actions. It incorporates the results of qualitative research to center and uplift the voices of TGD individuals using their own words.