UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is a hospital within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center system, a 501(c)3 nonprofit healthcare network located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. UPMC Children’s Hospital offers sex change treatments through its Gender and Sexual Development Program. Services are offered to children and youth up to age 26, and include hormone therapy and mental health support. Information from the hospital claims “gender awareness can become apparent in children as young as two years of age.” Claims data shows the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, as well as the wider University of Pittsburgh Medical Center system, have billed for dozens of gender medical treatments for minors since 2019. These include 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

UPMC Children’s Hospital offers sex change treatments through its Gender and Sexual Development Program. Services offered include hormone therapy and mental health support. The center does not perform “reconstructive surgeries.”

It offers a variety of information about sex change resources on its website, including an infographic depicting a “Gender Unicorn” and a parental resource claiming that “gender awareness can become apparent in children as young as 2 years of age.” Other resources focus on binding, packing and tucking.”

Dr. Gerald Montano, Director of the Gender and Sexual Development Program, stated that 10-year-olds can receive gender medical interventions and that minors under 18 years old “could receive “top surgery.” He also has encouraged doctors to inform their patients of a “right to confidentiality” from others, including parents.  Montano also appears to have indicated that in some scenarios, it may be beneficial for a patient to receive surgery while younger, citing breast removal surgery as an example.

Dr. Elizabeth Miller, founder of the Gender and Sexual Development Program, while discussing expanding treatment options for sex change treatments, stated that “it’s about social justice.”

In 2022, it was reported that UPMC Children’s Hospital’s Gender and Sexual Development Program had logged over 2,000 visits.

UPMC Children’s Hospital has participated in research indicating that children in Pittsburgh are five times more likely to identify as “gender diverse.”

Dr. Franklyn Cladis, Anesthesiologist-In-Chief, co-authored a study titled “Transgender Patient Care: A Prospective Survey of Pediatric Anesthesiologist Attitudes and Knowledge.”