The goal of CHESTcare is 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 hope to build a sister site soon to address TGD individuals who have had or are considering estrogen/progesterone therapy, testosterone-suppression, top surgery for breast enhancement, or bottom surgery.

While research on cancer risk in TGD people is scarce, it is important to maintain updated educational materials so that TGD people can partner with their healthcare providers to make informed decisions about their bodies and their cancer risk. We believe it is important that this information be inclusive to the many gender identities and gender-related healthcare pathways that people may take.

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.

Who we are

CHESTcare is currently funded by a Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship award to Kimberly Zayhowski, MS, CGC. Kim (she/her) is a queer genetic counselor who has been doing research with and for the transgender community since her master’s thesis. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Boston University in Graduate Medical Sciences. You can learn more about Kim in this faculty spotlight article. Kate Mittendorf, PhD (they/them) is a scientist and illustrator whose work involves collaborating with patients from marginalized communities to build effective healthcare infrastructure. Due to the current political environment, Dr. Mittendorf is working on this project from a personal capacity; the work on this website does not represent affiliation with their institution. You can learn more about Kate on their website. Other healthcare experts who have been involved in this project as advisors include: Carl Streed, MD (he/him); J9 Austin, PhD, MSc (they/them); Ian MacFarlane, PhD (he/him); Catharine Wang, PhD (she/her); Kai Blumen, MS (they/them); and W. Syed (they/them)