Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine to Host “Rethinking Youth Gender Medicine: Charting a Path Forward” Conference in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / September 10, 2026 / On November 5-7, clinicians, researchers, academics, ethicists, and patient and parent advocates will gather in Washington, D.C., for “Rethinking Youth Gender Medicine: Charting a Path Forward,” a three-day in-person and virtual conference hosted by the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM).

The conference comes at a pivotal moment for pediatric gender medicine. Systematic evidence reviews have identified serious concerns about the evidence supporting hormones and surgeries for gender-distressed youth, while health authorities in several European countries and a growing number of U.S. states have sharply restricted pediatric gender transition. These developments raise major questions about how clinicians should care for youth with gender-related distress, particularly amid continuing disagreement about evidence, ethics, adolescent autonomy, and the appropriate response to clinical uncertainty.

“Youth gender medicine is at an important inflection point,” said Dr. Roberto D’Angelo, president and founding board member of SEGM. “The landscape has changed dramatically, but fundamental questions about how best to care for young people remain. This conference is about bringing different perspectives together to consider how the field can move forward responsibly and protect the well-being of young people.”

Featured topics for this three-day conference include:

Day One — Where the field stands: Current evidence on benefits and harms, ethical questions, and perspectives from patients and families.

Day Two — Practical approaches to providing care: Understanding the patient population and providing evidence-based care amid a rapidly changing and divided policy landscape.

Day Three — Where we go from here: Emerging research, unanswered questions, and priorities for strengthening the evidence base.

“As the field changes, we have to keep asking how we can best support vulnerable young people and their families while remaining guided by the evidence. We need a path forward that recognizes what we know, what we still need to learn, and the individual needs of each patient,” said Dr. Julia Mason, a pediatrician and SEGM board member.

The conference will use the principle of adversarial collaboration, bringing together participants with differing perspectives to examine contested scientific and ethical questions.

“Patients and families deserve clear, trustworthy answers about the safety and effectiveness of treatment,” said Dr. William Malone, board-certified endocrinologist and SEGM co-founder and founding board member. “This conference creates a forum to examine the science openly, confront uncertainty honestly, and help ensure young people receive care grounded in the best available evidence.”

The conference will run from Thursday, November 5, at 9 a.m. through Saturday, November 7, at 5:30 p.m. EST. The venue will be located in Washington, D.C. Attendees traveling by air may fly into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) or Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

View the full conference agenda here.

Register for the conference here.

About the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM): The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting safe, ethical, and evidence-informed care for children, adolescents, and young adults with gender dysphoria. SEGM works with clinicians and researchers worldwide to strengthen the evidence base, improve clinical practice, and foster transparent, science-driven dialogue in the field of gender medicine. www.segm.org

Media Contact: media@segm.org

SOURCE: Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine

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