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Clinic History

In the early 1970s Dr. Michael Baggish moved to Hartford to head the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mt. Sinai Hospital. He had been a member of the staff of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, the first medical center in the United States to establish a gender identity clinic. Dr. Baggish wished to form a clinic for the Hartford area. He contacted persons already involved in treating gender dysphoric persons. Informal meetings were held during 1973 and within a year a board was organized, a constitution and bylaws were approved and the clinic registered with the State. At the beginning of 1974 the Board initiated interviews with applicants for evaluation.

The first surgery occurred at Mt. Sinai in the summer of 1974. Dr. Baggish performed surgeries for both male to female and female to male persons for the next eight years, excluding phalloplasty for the female to male transitions. In 1980 the Board adopted the international standards of care.

Dr. Baggish served as Board President until 1982 when Dr. Louis Gold, one of the Board psychiatrists, assumed the role of President. Upon his death in 1984, George Higgins, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, became the President. Dr. Higgins retired in June 2000 and Kathleen M. Sterner, Ph.D., also a clinical psychologist and Board Member, became the President. During Dr. Higgins' tenure as President the clinic meetings were held at the counseling office at Trinity College. Dr. Higgins assumed responsibility for psychological testing of candidates and the preparation of various letters required by persons in transition. The records were entrusted to the treasurer and clinic coordinator, Canon Clinton Jones, who also completed the social histories.

When Dr. Higgins retired, the Clinic underwent some major changes. Dr. John Felber, who was the Board psychiatrist, also retired and Dr. Bollepalli Subbarao agreed to serve as the Board Psychiatrist. Space for the clinic was made available by Dr. Subbarao at his office in New Britain. Board membership also changed. Dr. Everett Seyler, the Board endocrinologist, resigned to assume increased duties at Hartford Hospital; Dr. William Petit joined the Board as the endocrinologist. More recently, Cannon Clinton Jones has retired as a Board Member and Treasurer. Dr. Sterner now serves as both President and Treaurer. She completes the social histories and does the psychological evaluations. At the end of July, 2005, the Clinic moved from New Britian to West Hartford, to the office of Dr. Sterner.

Since its inception the Clinic has provided services for over 800 persons seeking hormone treatment and reassignment surgery.