Elizabeth Boskey, PhD, MPH, MSSW

boskey headshotSocial Worker, Center for Gender Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital
Instructor, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Instructor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Elizabeth Boskey, PhD, MPH, LICSW, (she/her) is the researcher and social worker for the Center for Gender Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. A former basic science researcher and professor, Elizabeth’s current focus is on improving healthcare for gender diverse patients on both structural and individual levels. Her research interests include ethical issues in gender affirming care, expectations and outcomes for gender affirming surgeries, and how and whether providers are prepared to work with gender minority patients. She is currently recruiting for a pilot study of the acceptability of external erectile prostheses for transgender men who have undergone gender affirming phalloplasty. Elizabeth is also the founder and current leader of the New England Gender C.A.R.E. (Collaboration. Access. Research. Education.) Consortium, an organization created to help promote collaboration across institutions in the region.

Representative Publications

  1. Boskey E, Telsch K, Whaley K, Moench T, Cone R. Acid Production by Vaginal Flora In Vitro Is Consistent with the Rate and Extent of Vaginal Acidification. Infect Immun. 1999;67(10):5170-5175.
  2. Boskey ER, Cone RA, Whaley KJ, Moench TR. Origins of vaginal acidity: high D/L lactate ratio is consistent with bacteria being the primary source. Hum Reprod. 2001;16(9):1809-1813. doi:10.1093/humrep/16.9.1809
  3. Boskey ER, Atherly-Trim SA, O’Campo PJ, Strobino DM, Misra DP, Misra P. Acceptability of a self-sampling technique to collect vaginal smears for gram stain diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. Womens Health Issues. 2004;14(1):14-18. doi:10.1016/j.whi.2003.12.001
  4. Boskey ER, Moench TR, Hees PS, Cone RA. A self-sampling method to obtain large volumes of undiluted cervicovaginal secretions. Sex Transm Dis. 2003;30(2):107-109
  5. Boskey ER. Understanding Transgender Identity Development in Childhood and Adolescence. American Journal of Sexuality Education. 2014;9(4):445-463. doi:10.1080/15546128.2014.973131
  6. Boskey ER, Taghinia AH, Ganor O. Association of Surgical Risk With Exogenous Hormone Use in Transgender Patients: A Systematic Review. JAMA Surg. 2019; 154(2): 159-69. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2018.4598
  7. Boskey E, Taghinia A, Ganor O. Self-Assessment of Clinical Competence with LGBT Patients at a Pediatric Hospital. Social Work in Health Care. 2019; 58(6):547-556: doi:10.1080/00981389.2019.1588189
  8. Boskey E, Taghinia A, Ganor O. Public Accommodation Laws and Gender Panic in the Inpatient Setting. AMA journal of ethics. 2018;20(11):E1067-1074. Other Websites:
  9. Boskey ER, Johnson JA, Harrison C, et al. Ethical Issues Considered When Establishing a Pediatrics Gender Surgery Center. Pediatrics. 2019; 143(6):e20183053. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-3053
  10. Boskey ER, Jolly D, Semnack MM, Tobias AM, Ganor O. Congruence Is Not Cosmetic: Denials of Nipple Grafts for Chest Reconstruction Surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2019;7(4):e2145. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002145

Other Web Presences

Contact

Elizabeth.boskey@childrens.harvard.edu, 617-919-6525