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 translational research, paediatric to adult care transitions and holistic, personalized approaches to medicine. I focus on the classification and depiction of intersex conditions/bodies, improving the clinical and psychosocial outcomes of the intersex/DSD/VSC populations and creating/validating tools and resources to bridge gaps in the care landscape between patients, providers and care systems. In my free time, I like to build mechanical keyboards, investigate urban subway systems, and play indie RPG games!

Areas of Interest:

Depathologization, stigma, intersex/differences of sex development, ‘biodivergence’, paediatric transition of care, health communications, personalized medicine

Projects, Studies and Publications:

Improving the Diagnostic Toolkit for Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome with an Androgen Receptor Immunofluorescence Assay

• July 2025–Current
• Planning stage, mentored by Dr. Katharine Dalke
• Aim to create a diagnostic assay using wrist fibroblasts to provide an affordable alternative that is agnostic to genetic testing and less invasive/traumatizing than the current genital fibroblast assay

Content-Validated and Reliability-Tested Difference of Sex Development Diagrams, Guides and Informational Resources for Providers and Patients

• Co-Principal Investigator
• May 2025–Current
• Ongoing study to provide clinical validation for set of tools, guides and resources to improve clinical competency of DSD/VSC care in primary and secondary care settings

Translating Core Clinical Competencies of Tertiary Multidisciplinary Difference of Sex Development Care for Primary and Secondary Care Providers

• Co-Principal Investigator
• October 2024–Current
• Co-PI of this study with Professor Lawrence Cohen, mentored by Dr. Katharine Dalke
• Ongoing study done in collaboration with major Children’s Hospitals

Intersex/DSD/VSC Didactic/Workshop for Medical Primary Care Providers and Behavioural Health Professionals

• Creator
• May 2025–Current
• Created comprehensive 1-hour workshops at Callen Lorde, Fenway Health and Intersex Canada

Intersex/DSD/VSC Continuing Medical Education Didactic

• Creator
• Accredited with the American Association of Family Physicians
• Presented at Fenway Health @ Boston, MA
• Trained 30 clinicians

Asian American Enclave Healthcare Mapping

• Co-Author, Coder
• February 2025–Current
• Mapped, coded and wrote subsection and associated index materials regarding organically formed healthcare/medical resource clusters within community centres in Asian American enclaves in NYC

Trauma-Informed Care Training for The Community Initiatives of NYC

• Co-Creator
• April 2025
• Training sessions facciliated by Mailman School of Public Health and Trauma Free NYC
• Created training presentation materials as well as flyers delineating trauma-informed care

World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Presentation

• Collaborator
• September 2024
• Developed scale measuring diversity of types of DSD/VST and phenotypes within a single DSD/VST used in the presentation led by Dr. Amy Tishelman for the WPATH
• Revised and contributed written content to presentation slides delineating current obstacles in DSD/VST care for adolescents and young adults
• Presentation had audience of over 1000 providers, ranging from primary care to endocrinology, urology and gynaecology.

Equitable Measurement of Care Disparities and Needs in Intersex Youth/Youth with Variations in Sex Development

• Expert Collaborator
• February 2024–Current
• Created intake form in collaboration with Children’s National Hospital, Lurie Children’s, and Harvard School of Public Health to establish avenues for patient autonomy and advocacy
• Pending follow-up study in collaboration with Dr. Amy Tishelman on patient feedback

Intersex 101

• Website Creator, Writer, Illustrator, Editor
• June 2023–Current
• https://intersex101.com is an approachable and comprehensive educational resource geared towards both individuals with DSDs/intersex conditions and clinicians
• Pacific Mind Health adopted website for therapist training
• InterACT will promote resources upon completion

Intersex Minority Stress and Strengths

• Collaborator
• April 2023–Current
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Contributed to qualitative analysis of interviews regarding minority stress of intersex participants

Research Brief Expert Panel: Variations in Sex Traits and Implications for Disability

• Co-Author
• National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine
• November 30, 2023
• Authored Chapter I of brief: Disability and IS/DSD/VST: Panel Points and Citations
• Brief was accepted for policy review and used to advise Medicaid and Medicare coverage expansion, as well as DSD disability eligibility

Professional Experience:

Research Collaborator @ BEING-U Clinic, SPROUTS Clinic

• Boston Children’s Hospital
• Lurie Children’s Hospital
• Collaborate on research on inter-clinician dynamics, procedures, protocols, and principles of multidisciplinary VST/DSD
• Create clinically validated scales for intersex patients to better describe genital and reproductive health concerns, as well as prompts to help improve patient self-advocacy
• Manage and run a listserv founded by a BCH provider for clinicians interested in intersex/DSD care

Co-Director & Founder @ Divergence Database & Intersex 101

• Create a searchable and sortable database for over 100 variations and subvariations of sex development for the primary use of medical and healthcare professionals
• Database features a unique sorting algorithm, variation summaries rooted in the most recent literature, referral resources and guides for each specialty advised by experts in the field
• The database will also be connected to Intersex 101, a site created for intersex adolescents and young adults aiming to improve patient self-advocacy and education
• Project is managed by Dr. Kristine Coons

Co-Principal Investigator

• UC Berkeley and CUIMC
• Established Healthcare, Information, Diagnostics and Equity for Variations of Sex Characteristics (HIDE-VSC) Initiative, funded by UC Berkeley
• Multi-phase study on Clinical and Psychosocial Experiences of DSD Adolescents/Young Adults
• Currently conducting an observational study on protocols and procedures at Boston Children’s Hospital’s DSD clinic as research affiliate
• Conducting an interview study on the experiences of young adults with DSD care
• Create community based task force of intersex-identified co-researchers and community advisory board to co-develop tools to improve competency of and accesss to adolescent and adult intersex/DSD/VSC care
• Faculty mentors include: Dr. Katharine Dalke, Dr. Amy Tishelman, Dr. Frances Grimstad
• Comprehensive diagnostic model for assessment of DSD in adolescents and young adults
• Will develop and publish a model that advances current differential diagnostics
• Publishing a digital and physical set of DSD care guides for secondary specialists
• Expert collaborators: Dr. Amy Tishelman, Dr. Frances Grimstad, Dr. Camilla Kamoun, Dr. Michelle LaRosa
• Translational study on a two-phase assay from wrist skin fibroblasts to provide a diagnostic tool for AIS agnostic to genetic testing

Co-Founder & Patient Advocate @ Haven Network

• Perform patient advocacy for over 200 intersex individuals and mentor/supervise other patient advocates on the team
• Help clients establish clarity regarding radiological, endocrine, and genetic findings, and understand their diagnoses
• Help clients understand treatment options and build strategies aligned with their healthcare goals in collaboration with their providers
• Lead community-based research to bridge gaps in DSD information accessibility and established an online community that serves as an emotional haven and grassroots resource for adolescents and young adults to gain support and mentorship
• Help members understand and work through processes and applications for neuropsychological testing and disability accommodations
• Help members escape and prevent dangerous situations via psychological support, suicide prevention, and resources for individuals in sex trafficking
• Devised DSD definitions and collaborated to better establish legal DSD exceptions in puberty blocker bans in states such as Florida

Advisory Board Member

• Perelman School of Medicine
• Measuring Stress, Stigma, and Resilience in Individuals with Differences of Sex Development/Intersex Variations
• Responsibilities: qualitative coding, editing, comments for review
• Project led by Dr. Katharine Dalke, Dr. Diane Chen and Dr. Tim van de Grift

Advisory Board Member

• Primary Children’s Hospital @ Utah
• Working with Dr. Kristina Suorsa-Johnson

Work Experience

Fellow/Visiting Scholar

• 2024-2025
• University of California, Berkeley
• Stronach Baccalaureate Prize Programme

Research Lead

• 2026
• Intersex Canada
• Healthcare Mapping Tool Project

Education:

M.PH in Sociomedical Sciences with Certificate in Public Health Research Methods

• Columbia University Irving Medical Centre
• Mailman School of Public Health
• 2024-2026 (Expected)

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

• University of California Berkeley College of Letters and Science
• Focus on Digital Health Communications
• Stronach Baccalaureate Prize Winner
• 2019-2024

High School Diploma (Art Department Senior Award)

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

Ongoing work:

intersex101.com