Jack Turban, MD, MHS
Director, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Dr. Turban (any pronouns) serves as director of the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program. He completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard College, his medical degree at Yale School of Medicine, his general psychiatry residency at The Masscahusetts General Hospital / McLean Hospital Program (Harvard Medical School), and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Stanford. He is an internationally recognized expert in supporting the mental health of transgender and gender diverse youth and is co-editor of the textbook Pediatric Gender Identity: Gender-affirming Care for Transgender & Gender Diverse Youth. His research focuses on the mental health of transgender and gender diverse youth, with a focus on research relevant to public policy. His research has been cited in major court cases regarding the civil rights of transgender people in the U.S., in state legislative debates around the country, and in the United Nations’ independent expert report on conversion therapy.
Allison Libby, PsyD
Faculty Psychologist, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Dr. Libby (she/her) completed her undergraduate degree at UCLA and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium. She has focused her clinical career on evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments with a particular emphasis on exposure therapy, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Ann Parsons, LMFT
Staff Therapist, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Ann Parsons (she/her) is a marriage and family therapist who has extensive experience in working with children, adolescents and their families. She often combines skills-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with mindfulness-based education. She earned her undergradate degree from the University of California, San Diego, and a master's degree in counseling at San Francisco State University, where she focused on attachment theory and the role of neuroscience in relationship and social development. She is certified in early childhood education and development, and she trained in parent-child interaction therapy at the University of California, Davis Children's Hospital.
Megan O'Brien, MD
Incoming Faculty Psychiatrist, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program [September 2025]
Dr. O'Brien (she/her) is an incoming faculty child and adolescent psychiatrist at UCSF. She competed her undergraduate degree at Stanford University, her medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine, her general psychiatry residency at UCSF, and will soon complete her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UCSF, where she trained in the Gender Psychiatry Program. While in residency she completed the LGBTQ+ Area of Distinction. She offers medication management as well as psychotherapy for youth and families within the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program.
Chase Anderson, MD, MS
Consulting Faculty Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Dr. Anderson (he/they) is an consulting faculty child and adolescent psychiatrist with the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program. He completed his undergraduate degree at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his medical degree at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, his general psychiatry residency at The Masscahusetts General Hospital / McLean Hospital Program (Harvard Medical School), and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UCSF. He is an internationally recognized expert in the impact of minority stress and societal stigma on the mental health of minoritized youth. In addition to supporting transender and gender diverse youth in the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program, Dr. Anderson directs the UCSF MUSES Clinic, focused on supporting the mental health of minoritized youth.
Kainalu Yoshida, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Kainalu Yoshida (he/him) is a clinical research coordinator that assists with various projects throughout the UCSF Psychiatry program. Having completed his undergraduate Biology degree from Seattle University, Kainalu currently works on studies focusing on improvement of eating disorder treatments for adolescents. Within the gender psychiatry program, he is assisting with the expansion of evidence-based treatment capacity for trauma-related conditions. In the future, Kainalu plans to pursue an MD and return to Hawaii where he hopes to expand access to affordable and equitable healthcare in the rural neighbor islands.
Brett Dolotina, BS, BSA
Research Fellow, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Brett Dolotina, BS, BSA (they/them) is a research fellow with the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program. Broadly speaking, Brett works at the intersections of psychiatry, epidemiology, and sociology by examining the ways transgender individuals across the life course experience and navigate inequitable societal systems. As a trans-nonbinary, queer, disabled Filipinx community member, Brett aspires to blend scholarship with social activism in striving towards trans liberatory futures. Brett has published several articles in journals such as JAMA Network Open, Health Affairs, and Pediatrics. They received their BS in Public Health and BSA in Biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin.
Thomas Freitag, BS, MPP
Research Fellow, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Thomas Freitag, BS, MPP (they/them) is a third year medical student at Harvard Medical School. They completed their BS at the University of Pittsburgh and their MPhil in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Their scholarly interests and research are centered around issues such as LGBTQIA+ youth access to gender affirming medical care, substance use disparities among LGBTQIA+ communities, and eating disorder/disordered eating among youth who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Paola Vidal-Espinoza, BS
Research Fellow, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Paola Vidal-Espinoza (she/her) is a research fellow with the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program. She is also a current public health graduate student at UC Davis. Her research interests are focused on access to gender-affirming care, mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ Youth, and the impacts of gender minority stress.
Jay Taimish
Undergraduate Researcher, UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program
Jay Taimish (he/him) is an undergraduate researcher with the UCSF Gender Psychiatry Program. He is also an undergraduate student at UCLA pursuing a BS in Human Biology & Society. He aspires to combine research, policy work, and education to advance healthcare equity for transgender and gender diverse communities. His research interests include minority stress and mental health, access to gender-affirming medical care, child and adolescent gender development, gender-affirming surgery, and public policy's influence on the well-being of queer and transgender individuals.