For episode nine, ProviderTrust sat down with D. Ojeda, PhD, a healthcare policy advocate at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). They work with coalition partners and federal/state government officials to create structural changes that will improve the wellbeing of the trans community, such as access to adequate health coverage and temporary housing. A community psychologist by training, D. Ojeda has been with the NCTE for more than a year. Most of their days are spent working with NCTE partners to help remove structural barriers that negatively impact the LGBTQ+ community.
Prior to their work at NCTE, D. Ojeda was named the 2018-2019 James Marshall Public Policy Fellow by the Society for Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) and worked for the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security in the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders.
D. Ojeda completed their Ph.D. and Masters in Community Psychology at Wichita State University and has a graduate certification in LGBT Health Practice and Policy at George Washington University. In the future, they hope to continue following their passion for and expand their expertise in healthcare, health minority equity, intersectionality, social justice, and public policy.
Check out the full episode and listen to D. Ojeda discuss:
- The history and mission of the NCTE.
- The work that’s being done by the NCTE to ensure there are representative voices at the local, state, and national levels.
- How the NCTE advances healthcare coverage and outcomes for the trans community
- The NCTE’s ongoing work to help the LGBTQ+ community access healthcare and other social services.
- Their recent meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and what the meeting at the White House means for the NCTE.
- How gender-affirming care, for which there’s an international standard of practice, is absolutely vital for the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.
- The importance of inclusive marketing and messaging, including intake forms and insurance applications.
- Their perspective on the Equality Act, which recently passed in the House
