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Nadia L. Dowshen, MD, MSHP
Co-Founder and Co-Director, Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic
Dr. Dowshen focuses on improving the health outcomes for adolescent and young adults (AYA) living with or at high risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and improving access and quality of care for gender expansive and transgender children and adolescents. She is particularly interested in developing and testing digital health interventions to reach, engage, and retain AYA in care.
Bio
Nadia Dowshen, MD, MSHP, AAHIVS, is a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist and serves as director of Adolescent HIV Services and is co-founder and medical director of the Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic in the Craig Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Dowshen also provides medical care at Covenant House, a youth shelter in Philadelphia and general inpatient adolescent care. She is a faculty member in CHOP’s PolicyLab and serves as co-chair of the CHOP mHealth Research Affinity Group. She is also an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Dowshen’s research focuses on developing youth-friendly technology-based interventions to improve adherence to medication and engagement care among young men who have sex with men and young transgender women of color who are living with or at risk for HIV infection. She is interested more broadly in health equity for other marginalized youth including LGBT and homeless adolescents and in particular focuses on improving quality of care and access to care for gender diverse and transgender children and adolescents.
Dr. Dowshen received the 2010 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine New Investigator Award for her research identifying protective factors against HIV infection among transgender youth. She was named an NIH Adolescent Trials Network (ATN) Scholar, a Best Young Investigator by the National Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR), and was a Community Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Dowshen served on the Board of Directors of the Sexual Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) and currently serves on the executive board of the Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality and Women and the Penn Program on Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Penn.
Education and Training
BA, University of Pennsylvania (Urban Studies), 1999
MD, University of Pennsylvania, 2004
Fellowship, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago (General Academic Pediatrics), 2009
Fellowship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Adolescent Medicine), 2011
MSHP, University of Pennsylvania (Health Policy Research), 2016
Titles and Academic Titles
Co-Founder and Co-Director, Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Professional Memberships
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2004-
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, 2008-
American Academy of HIV Medicine, Certified HIV Specialist, 2008-
Circle of Care, Family Planning Council, Medical Committee for Adolescent HIV providers, 2009-
PAX/The Center to Prevent Youth Violence, Board of Directors, 2010-2011
Adolescent Trials Network Mentoring Program, 2013-2016
Society for Pediatric Research, 2016-
Professional Awards
People's Emergency Center Volunteer Award, 2005
Resident Community Access to Child Health Award, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006
Nancy Elizabeth Bernhardt Award, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2007
Region V Research Trainee Award, Ambulatory Pediatric Association, 2008
New Investigator Award, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, 2010
Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting New Investigator Travel Award, 2011
American Academy of HIV Medicine Technology in Practice Award, 2013
Adolescent Trials Network Scholar, 2013-2016
Best Young Investigator, National Center for AIDS Research, 2014
Community Scholar-in-Residence, University of Pennsylvania, 2015-2016
Publication Highlights
PubMed:
VonHoltz LAH, Frasso R, Golinkoff JM, Lozano AJ, Hanlon A, Dowshen N. Internet and Social Media Access Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Med Internet Res. 2018 May; 20(5):e184. doi: 10.2196/jmir.9306
Dowshen N, Lee S, Franklin J, Castillo M, Barg F. Access to Medical and Mental Health Services Across the HIV Care Continuum among Young Transgender Women: A Qualitative Study. Transgend Health. 2017 Jul; 2(1):81-90. doi: 10.1089/trgh.2016.0046. eCollection 2017
Wood S, Lee S, Barg F, Castillo M, Dowshen N. Young Transgender Women's Attitudes Toward HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. J Adolesc Health. 2017 May; 60(5):549-555. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.12.004. Epub 2017 Jan 26
Dowshen N, Meadows R, Byrnes M, Hawkins L, Eder J, and Noonan K. Policy Perspective: Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Gender Nonconforming Children and Adolescents. Transgend Health. 2016 May; 1(1):75-85. doi: 10.1089/trgh.2016.0002. eCollection 2016
Dowshen N, Kuhns L, Johnson,A, Holoyda B, Garofalo R. Improving Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy for Youth Living with HIV/AIDS: A pilot study using personalized, interactive, daily text message reminders. J Med Internet Res. 2012 Apr; 20(5):e184. doi: 10.2196/jmir.9306