Personalized Tool

What is CHESTcare?

CHESTcare stands for Cancer & Hereditary Risk Education & Support for Transgender & Nonbinary Individuals. Our goal is to empower you to make informed decisions about your health and cancer risk. CHESTcare provides clear, evidence-based information tailored to you and your health history and plans.

CHESTcare specifically educates about breast cancer risk in people who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse (TGD) who have had or are planning “top” surgery (gender-affirming mastectomy) or are taking or considering testosterone. To help with dysphoria we use the phrase “chest cancer” in most places when we are talking about “breast cancer.”

By using CHESTcare, you’ll gain insights into:

  • Information on chest cancer risk factors based on your gender-related care history and plans
  • What chest cancer screening(s) you might need
  • How to navigate screenings in ways that are comfortable for your body
  • Resources and support to help you access the healthcare you need

There are lots of gaps in what we know about cancer risk in TGD people. The information on this page may change as we learn more. Come back to CHESTcare as often as you like!

CHESTcare is here to help you take control of your health in a way that honors who you are.

“I just wish that maybe there would’ve been some more information available like … What would my risk be like after top surgery? What type of checks would I need to do? And is my risk high enough that I should just do a bilateral mastectomy instead of top surgery?”

—TRANSGENDER RESEARCH PARTICIPANT
(View the Study HEre)

About the CHESTcare research project and team

Our team aims to design an effective and accurate patient and provider education hub about breast cancer risk in transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals. CHESTcare presently encompasses individuals of who have had or are considering top surgery to flatten or reduce breast tissue and/or testosterone therapy. We started here because of our own personal experiences and those of our patients who did not know that top surgery leaves tissue behind that can get cancer. We hope to build a companion site to address TGD individuals who have had or are considering estrogen/progesterone therapy, testosterone-suppression, top surgery for breast enhancement, or bottom surgery.

Who we are

Stylized icons of four people in white coats with the chest care logo; clockwise from left, the left researcher has long brown hair and darker tan skin, the top researcher has pale skin and ginger short hair; the far right researcher has shoulder-length wavy hair and brown skin with a nose ring, and the bottom researcher has pale skin and short wavy ginger hair

The CHESTcare team has been personally impacted by the need for TGD inclusive chest cancer care in our own lives and/or the lives of our patients. Our goal is to make it easier for you to get the care we wish we could all receive.

Kimberly Zayhowski, MS, CGC (she/her)
A faceless icon of a person of color with long dark brown hair. She is wearing a white coat with the CHESTcare logo on the chest pocket.

Kim is a queer genetic counselor who has been doing research about transgender cancer care for over a decade. She currently works as an Assistant Professor and the Assistant Program Director of the Genetic Counseling Program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She earned her Master’s in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Stanford University School of Medicine and was one of the inaugural research fellows in the GC-FIRST program at the University of Minnesota. You can learn more about Kim in this faculty spotlight article. Kim oversees the development of CHESTcare as well as leads CHESTcare-associated research.

K.F. Mittendorf, PhD (they/them)
A faceless icon of a white person with short, spiky red hair. They are wearing a white coat with the CHESTcare logo on the chest pocket.

Dr. Mittendorf is an interdisciplinary scientist and illustrator who works with individuals from marginalized populations to improve cancer care delivery. They have extensive experience in genomic evidence synthesis, data modeling, web application development, community-driven research design, implementation science, and genomic applications in care delivery. You can learn more about them on their website. They build website infrastructure and illustrate CHESTcare, and act as an advisor for research associated with CHESTcare.


Due to the current political environment, Dr. Mittendorf is working on this project from a personal capacity. This website is not affiliated with their institution.

W. Syed, MS (they/them)
A faceless icon of a person of color with medium-length black hair. They are wearing a white coat with the CHESTcare logo on the chest pocket.

W. Syed is a nonbinary lesbian genetic counselor with a background in public health and an interest in creating health interventions for the LGBTQ+ community. Syed drafts and edits website content. As part of their master’s thesis, they led research related to iterative website revisions.

Kai Blumen, MS, CGC (they/them)
A faceless icon of a white person with wavy, asymmetrical short red hair. They are wearing a white coat with the CHESTcare logo on the chest pocket.

Kai is a nonbinary genetic counselor dedicated to advancing transgender health equity. They work to elevate transgender patient voices, improve access to genetic information and counseling, and educate healthcare professionals on transgender inclusivity. Kai earned their Master’s in Genetic Counseling from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. They previously served as a Clinical Research Assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital, where they worked on research with transgender and intersex youth on the impacts of genetics and hormones on health. Kai previously led research that informed the development of CHESTcare (see News page) and currently helps with website content and edits.

Other contributors

Other healthcare experts and researchers who have been involved in this project as advisors include: Ian MacFarlane, PhD (he/him); Carl Streed, MD (he/him); J9 Austin, PhD, MSc (they/them); and Catharine Wang, PhD (she/her).

*The research and content presented on this website are the work of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of their affiliated institutions.

CHESTcare is currently funded by a Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship award to Kimberly Zayhowski, MS, CGC.