Introduction:

Hello, my name is Si-Jin Guo (although I often go by SJ to those who know me) and I am a researcher working in digital communications, medical sociology and science, technology and society. I focus on the classification and depiction of intersex conditions/bodies and the impact of scientific rhetoric in this area on social stigma experienced by those with intersex traits. My current thesis work sets out to test a novel digital resource against existing digital resources (such as Wikipedia) and assessing whether or not perceptions of intersex bodies can be destigmatized due to exposure to more humanizing narratives in conveying information.

Areas of Interest:

Demedicalization, stigma, digital communities, intersex/differences of sex development, ‘biodivergence’, health communications, digital representations of disability, rhetoric of medicine

Publications (Complete and In Progress):

Disability and IS/DSD/VST: Panel Points and Citations (research brief, 2023)

• National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Panel (accepted, incorporated for policy review)
• Author of Chapter I

Equitable Measurement of Care Disparities and Needs in Intersex Youth/Youth with Variations in Sex Development (NIH funded)

• Co-author
• Led by Dr. Amy Tishelman, Dr. John Strang, Dr. Canice Crerand and Katherine Lurie
• In collaboration with Children’s National Hospital, Nationwide Children’s, Harvard School of Public Health and Boston College
• contributed in creation of the Youth Self Advocacy Tool for intersex adolescents aged 11-21
• Awaiting publication

Measuring Stress, Stigma, and Resilience in Individuals with Differences of Sex Development/Intersex Variations (DSD/I), NIH funded, Advisory Board Member, 2024

• Advisory Board Member
• Co-author
• Led by Dr. Katharine Dalke, Dr. Diane Chen and Dr. Tim van de Grift
• In collaboration with Penn Medicine, Lurie Children’s Hospital and VUMC in Amsterdam
• Awaiting publication

Intersex Minority Stress and Strengths 2023-present

• Awaiting publication
• Co-author

Media Studies Honours Thesis: Destigmatizing Intersex Through Information 2023-2024

• Awaiting publication
• Preliminary title

Research Related Experience:

Intersex/DSD Volunteer Research Collective, Founder, 2020-current

• Co-founded an online research group for the purposes of bridging gaps in accessible research and information on intersex conditions (medically known as DSDs).

Intersex 101 Resource, Creator, 2023 https://intersex101.com

• Created an approachable and comprehensible resource with illustrations geared towards both clinicians and individuals with DSDs/intersex conditions
• Resource was incorporated by Pacific Mind Health (psychological health service and collective) for therapist training regarding intersex patients. - - InterACT expressed interest in promoting the project upon its completion

Education:

B.A. in Media Studies with Honours and Minor in Science Technology and Society

• University of California Berkeley College of Letters and Science
• 2019-2024 (expected)

High School Diploma (Art Department Senior Award)

• Phillips Academy (Andover, Massachusetts)
• 2015-2019

Ongoing work:

intersex101.com