Children’s National Medical Center

Health Systems Children's National

Children’s National Medical Center

501(c)(3)

111 Michigan Ave. NW
Washington, DC

49

Total Sex Change Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.
2

Total Surgery Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming surgical procedures.
47

Total Hormone and Puberty Blocker Patients

info icon Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.
402

Total Prescriptions Written

info icon Total number of scripts for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
$67,293

Total Submitted Charges

info icon Total amount submitted by providers or pharmacies to insurance for services, treatments, or prescriptions, before any reviews or adjustments. Includes medical procedures and prescription charges but may not reflect the final amount after negotiations.

Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospital in Washington, D.C. CNMC runs a Gender Development Program that works with “gender exploring, gender non-conforming, gender dysphoric, gender non-binary, transgender and gender-questioning young people.” Services include puberty blockers, hormone therapy, mental health therapy, and sex change surgeries for minors. CNMC also runs the Gender and Autism Program which “helps autistic/neurodivergent gender-expansive youth and their families through our clinical services and clinical research initiatives.” CNMC also operates the Youth Pride Clinic, which “provides primary and specialty care services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) patients throughout the greater Washington, D.C. region.” Claims data confirms that Children’s National Medical Center billed for puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex change surgeries for minors. 

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 Gender and Autism Program at CNMC “helps autistic/neurodivergent gender-expansive youth and their families through our clinical services and clinical research initiatives.” The program works with young people between the ages of three to 25 years old. The team includes John F. Strang, PsyD, a neuropsychologist; and Laura Marie Willing, MD, a psychiatrist.

The Gender Development Program is “a multidisciplinary team of specialists who work in the assessment and broad care needs of youth on the gender spectrum and their families.” The program works with “gender exploring, gender non-conforming, gender dysphoric, gender non-binary, transgender and gender-questioning young people, and we see children and adolescents of all ages.” The Gender Development Program team includes three gender development specialists: David Charles Call, MD; Veronica Gomez-Lobo, MD; and Strang.

In March 2014, Strang published a study that found that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were more likely to exhibit “gender variance”, the wish to be the other gender, than children with no neurodevelopmental disorder, or a medical neurodevelopmental disorder such as epilepsy or neurofibromatosis.

In January 2023, Strang developed a self-report tool called “The Gender Self-Report” as a way “to characterize the gender of research participants beyond their binary designated sex at birth.”

The Gender Development Program is currently conducting a study on “the relationship between the experience of being transgender, gender exploring or gender non-binary in youth and behavioral and biological measures of gender.”

Per the hospital’s website, the Youth Pride Clinic “provides primary and specialty care services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) patients throughout the greater Washington, D.C., region.” The clinic is led by Lawrence D’Angelo, MD, MPH, reportedly “one of the nation’s foremost specialists in adolescent medicine.”

CNMC publishes newsletters and articles related to child health under the name “Rise and Shine.” A Rise and Shine article, published in June 2021, detailed LGBTQIA+ terminology and promoted the Youth Pride Clinic, Gender Development Program, and other resources.

Another Rise and Shine article, published in June 2022, examined differentiating between sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

In a March 2023 letter to former CNMC CEO Kurt Newman, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) expressed concern that the Youth Pride Clinic does not mention the role of parental consent in its protocols and policies related to the administering of cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children. The letter also seeks “reports or inquiries” that hospital staff members have made to Child Protective Services if a parent objects to “medical interventions that would hormonally or surgically transition his or her child.”

Sex Change Treatments Offered

The Gender and Autism Program

The program “helps autistic/neurodivergent gender-expansive youth and their families through our clinical services and clinical research initiatives” and works with young people between the ages of three to 25 years old.

The team includes John F. Strang, PsyD, a neuropsychologist; and Laura Marie Willing, MD, a psychiatrist.

The Gender and Autism Program has a research component where they “developed initial clinical guidelines for the support of gender spectrum autism spectrum youth.”

“The guidelines emphasize:

  • The importance of assessing for autism among gender-diverse youth, as well as assessing gender-related needs in youth on the autism spectrum.
  • The broad range of gender-related outcomes for youth with co-occurring autism and gender diversity. Some do ultimately identify as transgender, and there are other possible outcomes as well.
  • The need for a more extended period of assessment for some of these youth.”

“Pediatric gender and autism care at Children’s National is accessible via telehealth.”

The Gender Development Program

The program has “a multidisciplinary team of specialists who work in the assessment and broad care needs of youth on the gender spectrum and their families.” The program works with “gender exploring, gender non-conforming, gender dysphoric, gender non-binary, transgender and gender-questioning young people, and we see children and adolescents of all ages.”

The program collaborates with other departments throughout CNMC to provide “care” to children with gender development needs.

The Gender Development Program team includes three gender development specialists: David Charles Call, MD; Veronica Gomez-Lobo, MD; and Strang.

Drs. Call and Strang have authored several publications in which they conduct research on the correlation between children with gender dysphoria and autism.

The Youth Pride Clinic

The clinic provides primary and specialty care services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) patients throughout the greater Washington, D.C., region.” It also “provides affordable, high-quality health and wellness care, including physicals, hormonal treatment and mental health counseling for transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.”

The clinic follows the standards of care established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

The clinic is led by Lawrence D’Angelo, MD, MPH, reportedly “one of the nation’s foremost specialists in adolescent medicine.”

 

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
Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE President & CEO N/A
Catherine Bollard, MD, MBCHB Interim Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer N/A
Anthony Sandler, MD Senior Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief N/A
Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, MBA, PMP Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Chief Research Information Officer N/A
Mihailo Kaplarevic, PhD Chief Research Information Officer N/A
Mary Anne Hilliard EVP & Chief Legal Officer $851,023
Aldwin Lindsay EVP & CFO $901,152
Kathleen Chavanu Gorman Chief Operating Officer $1,264,501
Matthew Macvey Chief Info Officer $581,015
David Wessel, MD Chief Medical Officer $1,153,347
Michelle M McGuire Chief Strategy Officer $727,088

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s National Medical leadership website, but the compensation information is from Children’s National Medical Center 2021 Form 990, filed 5/10/23.

Compensation reflects the tax year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022.

Board of Trustees

Name Title Compensation
Horacio Rozanski Chairman $0
Gregory A O’Dell Vice Chair $0
Ramanarayan V Potarazu Treasurer $0

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s National Medical board of directors website, but the compensation information is from Children’s National Medical Center 2021 Form 990, filed 5/10/23.

Compensation reflects the tax year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022.

CNMC appears to elect its Board of Directors but it is unclear how often elections are held and how long terms may last (if any).

In the News

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

Washington Examiner

Virginia Foxx demands answers from DC children’s hospital over gender…

03/21/2023

In a March 2023 letter to former CNMC CEO Kurt Newman, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) expressed concern that the youth…

Read More →
Children's National Medical Center

Study Led by Children's National Author Finds Increased Gender Variance…

06/14/2021

In March 2014, John F. Strang, PsyD, a pediatric neuropsychologist at CNMC, published a study that found that children with…

Read More →
Children's National Medical Center

Gender Self-Report seeks to capture the gender spectrum for broad…

01/31/2023

In January 2023, Dr. Strang developed a self-report tool called "The Gender Self-Report" as a “say to characterize the gender…

Read More →