A Day of G.I.F.T.S.
A Day of Gathering Information for Transgender Services to Promote Health & Wellbeing
About the Event
Summary
A Day of G.I.F.T.S.—or A Day of Gathering Information for Transgender Services to Promote Health & Wellbeing—is an event dedicated to transgender and gender non-conforming persons, as well as those who support them. Our goal is to help you learn about and access the resources available in our community in a warm, welcoming setting.
The event will bring together medical experts from Middlesex Health, businesses whose products are for LGBTQ+ persons, and a number of special guest speakers (see below for the full schedule!).
Who is this event for?
A Day of G.I.F.T.S. is open to anyone who is transgender or gender non-conforming, especially adults and high school students.
It is also open to those who support transgender friends and family. This may include:
- parents or primary caregivers/guardians
- partners or spouses
- close friends
How does the event work?
A Day of G.I.F.T.S. will have five main components, and you can move through each at your own pace and on your own schedule.
- Information Room: Visit tables—and the experts staffing them—to find transgender friendly providers and resources: primary care, OB/GYN, gender confirming surgery, endocrinology, urology, behavioral health, voice retraining, and more. Dr. Christine McGinn, plastic surgeon and the nation's leading expert in transgender surgery, will have a table, as well.
- Self-care Sessions: Receive a chair massage or hand massage (toco della mani) in a quiet, relaxing space. Mini-sessions can be signed up for at the event. You can also learn about aromatherapy, sound healing, mindfulness, and meditation.
- Resource Rooms: Find screenings and interactive learning opportunities, including products from Good Vibrations, guidelines for safe binding and tucking, postural screening assessments with PTs and OTs, blood pressure screening, and pelvic health information.
- HIV/Hepatitis C Testing: AIDS Connecticut (ACT) will provide free, confidential rapid tests and counseling for HIV and Hepatitis C. They wll also have a table in the Information Room.
- Mini-Lecture Series: Attend one or more presentations by local experts (schedule subject to change).
10:30 a.m.
How to Find a Surgeon for Vaginoplasty, with Dr. Christine McGinn, Papillon Gender Wellness Center
11:00 a.m.
What Your Emergency Room Doctor Needs You to Tell Them, with Siri Daulaire, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician
11:30 a.m.
Let's Talk About Sex!, with Alex Papale, PT, DPT of Good Vibrations
12:00 p.m.
Voice Retraining for Transmales and Transfemales, with Rebecca Burrell, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist
12:30 p.m.
Navigating High School for Transgender Youth, with Connor Gallik, MS | For transgender youth and their parents.
1:00 p.m.
How to Find a Surgeon for Metoidioplasty/Phalloplasty, with Dr. Christine McGinn, Papillon Gender Wellness Center
1:30 p.m.
Mindfulness for the Transgender Community, with Dennis McCann, Ph.D., Middlesex Health Chaplain & Director of the Center for Mindfulness + Compassion
Do I need to sign up?
We ask that you register for the event using the form below. Your information will only be used to help us get a head count; you do not need to pre-register for any of the seminars, etc. and you may arrive at any time during the event.
We will be open to walk-in guests, as long as our facilities are not at capacity.
There is no registration fee for this event.
More About Us + Program Contacts
For questions about A Day of G.I.F.T.S., please email us at dayofgifts@midhosp.org. You can also learn more about, or contact, our Transgender Medicine Program or LGBTQ+ Health Services program at Middlesex Health.
Costs & Registration Information
Cost to Attend?
Free
Registration Information
Registration Required
Registration is required to attend. Registration is closed once registrations reach maximum capacity.
To Register:
Registration is closed.
Contact
Middlesex Health Transgender Medicine Program
dayofgifts@midhosp.org
Directions, Parking & Maps
Directions
The Bardenheir Building is one of two brick buildings located directly across from the main lobby entrance to Middlesex Hospital. The entrance—two glass doors—is between these two buildings.
Parking
Middlesex Hospital offers a large, free parking lot that is accessible from Crescent St. or from South Main St.
*Please note that Crescent St. is one-way. You MUST enter Crescent St. from South Main St. You CANNOT turn onto Crescent St. from Main St. Extension, which runs between One MacDonough Place and the Emergency Department.
Maps
