2024 has been another challenging year for trans communities and allies, with ongoing high rates of anti-trans discrimination and violence.
We know in this current sociopolitical climate, research plays a critical role in ensuring accurate, evidence-based information directs policies and programs that impact trans people. With this at the forefront of our minds, this year, we have pushed ourselves to produce high-quality, priority-focused research, and devote significant time and energy to trans health education and advocacy, to combat misinformation and disinformation.
Below are some of the highlights from our year.
Spotlighting our student researchers
Firstly, we would like to highlight the achievements of our student researchers.
Foster during their final Honours thesis presentation.
Foster Skewis, a long-time research assistant with Trans Health Research, commenced and completed their honours research year with us, exploring outcomes of the Informed Consent Model of Care for accessing gender-affirming hormone therapy.
After winning the prestigious Endocrine Society of Australia Bryan Hudson Clinical Endocrinology Award last year, Dr Lachie Angus has continued to progress in his PhD, with publications on the effectiveness of different anti-androgens on breast growth, breast volume estimation, and the effect of spironolactone and cyproterone acetate on QT interval. As part of his PhD, Dr Toan Tang spent most of this year running a randomised controlled trial, to explore the effectiveness of Minoxidil (a common medication for treating hair loss) taken under the tongue, in improving hair density and quality of life for trans people using testosterone.
Left to right: Eli, Ada, and Julian standing together on Wear It Purple Day.
Our team has grown in 2024, with several students commencing study with us. Eli Ward-Smith, who first joined Trans Health Research as a volunteer, moved into a PhD, focusing on the impacts of low-dose testosterone use on physical and mental health. Dr Benjamin Sutu, a rheumatologist, has commenced a PhD to better understand how hormone therapy might impact autoimmune disease, and Dr Rich Bradlow has started a PhD to understand functional neurological disorders in trans people. Arden Wong moved from the United States to Melbourne to start their PhD studies on cardiac health and gender-affirming hormone therapy, and Silver Argentum moved from Sydney to join us for their Masters degree, with a focus on individualised approaches to medical gender affirmation.
New and ongoing projects
Our staff have been involved in a number of ongoing and new research projects.
Trans Health Research were recipients of a Suicide Prevention Australia Innovation Grant, which has helped to fund the Thriving Transitions Project. Working in collaboration with researchers from The Matilda Centre at University of Sydney, we have started to develop a peer support program for trans and gender diverse people on a waitlist for gender-affirming hormone therapy, which will be evaluated in 2025.
We were also recipients of a MRFF Models of Care for Sexuality & Gender Diverse People & People with Innate Variations of Sex Characteristics Grant, which has provided funding for the Rural Shared Care Project (COSMAT). As part of this large collaborative project, GPs from rural and remote Victoria will share care of their trans patient/s with experienced endocrinologists, upskilling them in gender-affirming hormone prescription and monitoring. We will evaluate the effectiveness of this new model of care in improving GP competency in trans health, and patient mental health and wellbeing.
Left: Kylie and Victoria University collaborator Patrice sitting at a table with TRANSform and GAME Study posters. Right: A Queer Sporting Alliance banner promoting the Come Out & Play event, attended by Kylie and Patrice.
Trans Health Research have continued our collaboration with Monash University and the Institute of Health and Sport at Victoria University on The GAME Study, a world-first study which aims to uncover the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on skeletal muscle health, fitness, and performance.
Our TRANSform Project marked its fourth anniversary in May. TRANSform has built on its strong track-record of research outputs and real-world impacts, with several new publications in 2024, including on community perspectives on terminology, persistent periods with testosterone use, and non-binary medical gender affirmation. TRANSform also launched its third bi-annual mental health survey, and the second half of 2024 was spent analysing the results, including experiences of housing, employment, and exposure to anti-trans media.
Recognition of our research and advocacy
Two of our team members were recipients of awards this year.
Dr Brendan Nolan’s world-first RCT on the impacts of initiation of testosterone which was published in 2023, has continued to receive international recognition, with Brendan a finalist for the Victorian Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research.
Ada accepting her induction into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, along with a framed certificate.
Our team lead, A/Prof Ada Cheung was named in Cosmos Magazine as 1 of 50 most inspirational and remarkable women in Australian science, was inducted into the Victoria Honour Roll of Women and was the recipient of the Endocrine Society of Australia Mid-Career Award.
Accessible and impactful research
In 2024, we continued to focus on science communication - ensuring that our research is translated in ways that make it more accessible to the trans community and stakeholders.
We conducted a major overhaul of our website content and functionality, including the collation of an extensive array of Community Resources and Professional Resources. As evidence of the need for high quality and reliable information, we have observed a significant increase in our website traffic since this update, with an average of 5,089 monthly page views during the second half of 2024.
Our research blog posts have become an integral component of our science communication, translating our peer-reviewed publications into lay language, and filling information gaps. In 2024, we published 9 research blog posts on a range of topics including trans women in sport, menstrual periods and testosterone, and non-binary people and gender-affirming hormones and surgeries.
Left to right: Sasha, Beau Newell (Pride in Sport's program manager), and Ada standing together at the 2024 Pride in Sport Summit.
To ensure maximal research reach and impact, our team has regularly engaged with health care professionals, government representatives, community organisations, and sporting bodies. In particular, we have done a lot of advocacy around trans inclusion in sport, and A/Prof Ada Cheung has worked with international, national, and state-based sporting bodies to educate decision-makers on the scientific evidence of the impact of gender-affirming hormone therapy on physical performance.
Left to right: Lachlan, Ada, Katie Wynne (of Maple Leaf House, Newcastle), Ingrid, and Brendan at an Endocrine Society of Australia conference.
Trans Health Research team members presented at numerous conferences throughout 2024, including the Pride in Sport Summit, US Endocrine Society Meeting, The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Australian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting, Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting, ANZ Bone and Mineral Society meeting, Australian Reproduction Update and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) Conference in Portugal.
Left to right: Brendan, Sav, and Ada at the WPATH Conference in Portugal.
Thank you!
All this work would not be possible without the involvement of the over 2,000 trans people who participated in our research this year, our wonderful volunteers and community advisory group, and our many collaborators, including community organisations, advocacy groups, fellow researchers and scientists, and clinicians treating trans folk who we have the pleasure of working with.
Thank you for working with us toward our goal of improving the health and wellbeing of trans communities globally.
All our research is only possible because of competitive grant funding, and we are so grateful for funding support from NHMRC, MRFF, Suicide Prevention Australia, the Endocrine Society of Australia, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Heart Foundation, Paul G Allen Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Austin Medical Research Foundation and The University of Melbourne.
We look forward to continuing this work together, into 2025 and beyond!