Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Health Systems Independent/No System, Northwestern MedicineAnn & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
501(c)(3)
225 E. Chicago Ave. Box 282
Chicago, IL
Total Sex Change Patients
Total Surgery Patients
Total Hormone and Puberty Blocker Patients
Total Prescriptions Written
Total Submitted Charges
The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit hospital and part of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital operates the Gender Development Program, which is focused on “supporting the physical, mental and social health of patients and their families as youth progress through gender identity development.” The hospital provides puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and non-reproductive gender surgeries for minors. Claims data shows the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, as well as the wider Northwestern Medicine health system, have billed for dozens of gender medical treatments for minors since 2019. These include gender surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
For more information on the specific procedure and diagnostic codes and other methodology used to make these determination, read our white paper here.
Key Findings
The Lurie Children’s Gender Development Program is “gender-affirmative” and offers puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and non-reproductive surgical interventions.
In 2022, it was reported that the clinic had condensed its initial assessment phase in a single one-hour session. As of 2022, Lurie Children’s had provided “clinical care” to over 2,000 transgender and gender-diverse children. Lurie Children’s was also criticized “for depicting a 13-year-old dressed in provocative, sexualized clothing as part of an official promotional video” for its gender clinic.
In 2023, Lurie Children’s was accused of “secretly holding gender reassignment sessions with young children” at some Chicago schools.
In 2022, it was alleged that Lurie Children’s had partnered with Chicago school districts “to promote radical gender theory, ‘kink,’ ‘BDSM,’ and ‘trans-friendly’ sex toys for children.”
In 2015, PBS Frontline released a documentary called “Growing Up Trans” which prominently featured senior doctors from The Lurie Children’s Gender And Sex Development Program.
Dr. Robert Garofalo, head of the hospital’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine division, admitted “there is not a full range of evidence to support” the use of puberty blockers, but there is “a lot of anecdotal evidence to support it.”
In 2013, Garofalo co-authored an academic paper on “the gender affirmative model” which claimed that “gender may be fluid, and is not binary,” that “many children develop a strong sense of gender identity at a young age,” and that suppression of a preferred gender identity could lead to suicide.
Physicians running the Lurie Children’s Gender Program have criticized attempts by U.S. lawmakers to restrict access to gender-affirming medical procedures. (The Guardian, 4/7/21; Texas Tribune, 8/15/23; KUT News, 8/15/23; Texas Tribune, 8/15/23)
Lurie Children’s claimed that “gender-affirming medical treatments are not experimental” and are “well-studied and well-supported by scores of scientific research conducted across the globe.” Lurie Children’s also claimed that “the overwhelming predominance of scientific research confirms that being transgender is not a phase” but “a natural expression of the human condition.”
The Gender Development Program webpage provides links to various web resources, such as school alliances and the Human Rights Campaign, that promote gender-affirming ideology.
Gender Development Program resources include a document on Illinois “transgender athletic policies” which endorses transgender inclusion in school sports.
Sex Change Treatments Offered
Gender Development Program
The Lurie Children’s Gender Development Program, which opened in 2013 as the Midwest’s first-ever gender identity clinic, describes itself as “gender-affirmative.” The program does not specify a lower age limit; new patients can begin care up to age 22 and continue services until age 25.
Sex change treatments offered include:
- Puberty blockers
- Hormone therapies
- Non-reproductive surgical interventions
Lurie Children’s claims that “pubertal suppression therapy is a non-invasive, reversible process.”
The program offers some “gender-affirming surgery” options but “does not perform gender-affirming surgery involving reproductive organs.”
“Gender-Affirming Surgery and Referrals: Gender affirming surgery refers to a wide range of surgical interventions, including chest surgery, surgery involving reproductive organs, and surgery on facial structures. Lurie Children’s does not perform gender-affirming surgery involving reproductive organs on patients of any age for the purposes of gender affirmation or transition.”
Definitions
SEX CHANGE PATIENTS: Total unique children who underwent “gender-affirming” surgical procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.
TOTAL SURGERY PATIENTS: Total unique children who underwent “gender-affirming” surgical procedures.
TOTAL HORMONE AND PUBERTY BLOCKERS PATIENTS: Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.
TOTAL PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN: Total number of prescriptions written by a provider for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones for children.
TOTAL SUBMITTED CHARGES: This is the initial amount a healthcare provider or pharmacy submits to the insurance company for a specific service, treatment, or prescription before the insurance company reviews and adjusts the payment. This value includes both the pharmacy-submitted cost of prescription drug claims and the line-item charges associated with medical procedures. Please note that this amount does not necessarily reflect the full cost of the procedure or prescription, as it is subject to adjustments and negotiations by the insurance company.
Leadership
Executive Leadership
Name | Title | Compensation |
---|---|---|
Thomas Shanley, MD | President & CEO | $2,234,530 |
Derek Wheeler, MD | Executive Vice President & COO | N/A |
Fatema Zanzi, Esq. | Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative and Legal Officer | $792,539 |
Lisa Dykstra | Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer | $774,845 |
Courtney Hardy, MD, MBA, FAAP | Chief Integration Officer | N/A |
Susan Hayes Gordon | Senior Vice President & Chief External Affairs Officer | $2,186,739 |
Rich Lehmuth | Chief Strategy Officer | N/A |
Marcelo Malakooti, MD | Chief Medical Officer | N/A |
Kary McIlwain | Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing and Communications Officer | N/A |
Alex Miller | Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer | N/A |
Brian Stahulak, DNP | Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer & Chief Clinical Officer | $518,035 |
Krista Tartoni | Vice President of Strategy Execution & Chief of Staff | N/A |
Kendra Allaband | Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer | N/A |
Mary Kate Daly | Senior Vice President & Chief of Community Health Partnerships and Transformation | N/A |
Dana Schinasi, MD, MHSI | Chief Medical Informatics Officer & Digital Health Medical Director | N/A |
Brenda Davis | Vice President of Budget and Planning | $325,771 |
Ken Gray | Vice President of Medical Services | N/A |
Adeola Oduwole, MSc | Vice President & Chief of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | N/A |
The current leadership/titles are based on the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital leadership website, but the compensation information is from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Of Chicago 2022 Form 990, filed 7/12/23.
Board of Trustees
Name | Title | Compensation |
---|---|---|
Roxanne Martino | Chair | $0 |
Karen S. Sauder | Vice Chair | $0 |
H. Thomas Watkins III | Vice Chair | $0 |
Fatema Zanzi, Esq. | Corporate Secretary | $792,539 |
The current leadership/titles are based on the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital board of directors website, but the compensation information is from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Of Chicago 2022 Form 990, filed 7/12/23.
In the News
Stay up to date with the latest news and updates.
Lurie’s Children Hospital accused of secretly holding gender reassignment sessions…
03/15/2023In 2023, Lurie Children's was accused of "secretly holding gender reassignment sessions with young children" at some Chicago schools.
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09/06/2022. “A video of a young trans-identified teenager is sparking controversy on social media for depicting a 13-year-old dressed in…
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08/31/2022“The largest children’s hospital in Chicago has created partnerships with local school districts to promote radical gender theory, “kink,” “BDSM,”…
Read More →Lurie Children’s Hospital to End Intersex Surgeries on Children
08/03/2020“Under growing pressure from employees and activists, Lurie Children’s Hospital says it will stop preforming surgeries on children who are…
Read More →Growing Up Trans
06/30/2015“Growing Up Trans: A FRONTLINE Documentary . . . In 2015, Lurie Children's Gender and Sex Development Program was featured…
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