Dr. Jess Ting
Dr. Jess Ting is a trailblazer in genderaffirming
care and heads up Mount
Sinai’s Center for Transgender
Medicine and Surgery.
A native New Yorker, Jess originally pursued a
career as a classical double bass player. Shortly
before graduating from Julliard, however, he
set his sights on becoming a doctor — a lifechanging
decision that would pave the way for
a groundbreaking career in health care.
Jess worked in plastic surgery after graduating
at the top of his class at Columbia College of
Physicians and Surgeons. He shifted gears
again in 2016 to focus on gender-affirming care
and introduced a new, innovative approach to
surgery that helped serve as a model for others
in the medical field.
He performed the hospital’s first genital
reassignment surgery in 2016, and
the following year he launched a
fellowship in transgender surgery.
Jess’ team has now logged over
2,000 gender-affirming surgeries
for trans and non-binary
patients, leading to recognition
in a feature-length documentary
called “Born to Be,” which
received two Emmy nominations.
Jess has developed a strong
reputation among patients
for providing comprehensive,
compassionate care, and he is known for
his devotion to helping aspiring medical
students as they prepare for their careers. He
is an assistant professor of plastic surgery at
the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
LJ Vogel
LJ Vogel, a financial services
representative for New York Life in
Long Island, is keenly aware of the
economic challenges facing the LGBTQ
community. LJ has experience helping queer
and trans folks plan for financial hurdles,
including gender-affirming surgery, legal
name changes, adoption, and surrogacy.
A graduate of St. Johns University, LJ tutored
youth at a community homeless shelter as part
of the school’s Ozanam Scholars Program.
While in college, Vogel launched the Social
Justice Exchange, an independent studentrun
website where students share their
perspectives on current events both on and off
campus.
He later traveled to Puerto Rico to learn more
about the experiences of people on the island
who were facing financial and environmental
hardship. LJ strives to use his background in
finance to uplift disenfranchised people
and help them build generational
wealth.
LJ has also used his voice to
stand up legislative attacks
LGBTQ youth, including when
he spoke and at a conference at
the University of Massachusetts
Amherst in 2016. During his
remarked, Vogel discussed the
harmful effects of anti-trans
discrimination and dispelled other
transphobic narratives.
Ahead of the 2021 school year, Vogel
helped kick off a local school supply drive.
He is now co-facilitating a fundraiser to help
raise money for caretakers and patients living
with dementia at the New York Memory
Center.
Center for
Transgender
Medicine and
Surgery
at Mount Sinai
(CTMS)
New York Life,
Long Island
General Office
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